


Learning How To Write Characters

by crowkiiing



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa: Another Episode, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, also ships that I wrote in here, look the ships are just my otps okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-05-31 02:37:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 42
Words: 49,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6452161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crowkiiing/pseuds/crowkiiing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just basically a book to write out one-shots so I can learn how to write Dangan Ronpa characters better. Feel free to comment if they're OOC and what I could do better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Naegiri

**Author's Note:**

> Something I wrote so I can get better at writing Dangan Ronpa characters. I'd appreciate it if you commented if I'm getting them down good, or suggestions.

"O-O-Oh...wh-who..."

"Ding ding dang dang! A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, we will hold a Class Trial!"

"Someone call Naegi," Byakuya Togami commanded, although it was hard to keep the slightest quiver out of his voice. Even for him, the sight of the mangled corpse caused his mouth to run dry.

He cast an uncaring glance at the unconscious Touko Fukawa at his feet.

"I got it," a brunette said weakly, having being the one who had stuttered earlier. With robotic, stiff movements, Aoi Asahina left the room in the same manner she did when they had found Sakura Oogami's body.

"What a turn of events..." Byakuya mused. "I never would've expected this.

The thunder of footsteps (along with yelling- no doubt the words of the Ultimate Fortune-Teller, Yasuhiro Hagakure) told him that more company arrived.

There were only six of them left until now (seven if you counted Syo), and the number had dwindled down to five.

"T-Togami!" Makoto Naegi gasped, tripping right before the doorway and landing just before the corpse.

Covering his ears as Makoto screamed, Byakuya nudged the body with the tip of his polished shoes.

"I never would've expected her to die," he commented.

Scrambling to his feet, Makoto teetered dizzily as he tried to wrap his head around this, staring at the body with shocked green-grey eyes.

Kyouko Kirigiri was seated against the wall, her wrists punctured with slits as they were pinned to the wall using the screwdrivers found in the boys' toolkits.

Her lavender hair was stained with long pink streaks and her neck held several bruises in shape of a hand. However, her eyes were closed peacefully and her lips were graced with a small smile, no matter how subtle. Several long slits were visible near her ears, as if someone had cut into her skull.

Already, the corpse had a disgusting stench despite the lavender-y scent Kyouko always had carried.

Her fingers of her right hand had been twisted and broken, and her dark purple gloves had been shredded by deep gashes that also cut into the already-scarred and burnt skin of her naked hands. Her left hand was similar, although her wrist was bent at a strange angle, and a small, crumbled piece of paper was held in her palm.

"Might as well start the investigation," the Ultimate Heir sighed. "Fukawa, stop sleeping."

At her name, Touko shot upright, a long tongue hanging out from between her teeth and her eyes now an eerie red. "Stop confusing me with Miss Gloomy, my White Knight! Here I am, your healthy serial killer, Genocider Syo!"

"Whatever."

"Ki-Kirigiri-san..."

"Kyouko-san..."

"Let's see how worthless Naegi is during the trial without Kirigiri to guide him," Byakuya remarked.

"Aw, Koko's dead? Keeyahaha! How fun!" Genocider Syo giddily twirled her scissors in her fingers.

"Can...can you guys go out for a bit? I...I think I need some time on my own..."

Gaze flicking over to the Ultimate Luckester, Byakuya pursed his lips. "If you are the murderer, what happens if you meddle with the body?"

"I'll stay with him," Aoi volunteered.

His sharp, electric blue eyes flashed to the Swimmer for a moment before giving a nod and gracefully exiting the room, Genocider Syo trailing after him, followed by Yasuhiro.

"...did Kyouko-san know?"

"K-Know what?" Makoto managed out.

She locked her hands behind her back, peering down at him in front of Kyouko's corpse.

"The way you felt about her."

"Wh-When you state it...that way..."

Making little to none alarming movements, Aoi took her time to settle down next to Makoto's side with great care.

"It was the way you behaved around her, and vice versa," she said. "Just like...a warm atmosphere, between you two. I could feel it, I swear."

Silence.

"It wasn't the relationship you had with Sayaka- it was more tr-"

She cut off when Makoto lifted his head from where he had buried it into his arms.

"It was her smile first," he whispered.

"Maybe it was subtle, but I didn't care. It just made me feel warm instead, and then I would realize that I was smiling as well. Then she would make a dry comment about how open I was, and I would laugh sheepishly."

His eyes never left Kyouko's expression, the one that she had died with. "It wasn't like Sayaka. She was never like Sayaka. I was going to tell her tonight, I swore on it. And..now..."

Makoto's voice broke a little at the end. He wasn't used to this.

He wasn't used to the cold stone that had rooted itself in his heart, nor the dark, growing panic and despair that flowed through his veins.

"And...I just...never got to tell her.."


	2. Nagito Komaeda X Reader

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Non-despair AU.

He was tired.

Curled into a ball upon his bed, his phone held loosely in his hand, Nagito Komaeda felt eternally tired. 

Ping!

Hajime or Chiaki, most likely- two out of his three closest friends. Those two could sense when he wasn't himself, even through the screen, and both had been messaging him for over two hours.

Despite being alone, Nagito's eyes flicked open and he mumbled, "Leave me alone."

Vvvvvvrrt.

His phone vibrated in his hand and Nagito brought it up to his eye-level, his brow furrowing at the contact that was calling him.

(Y/N) (L/N) is calling.

He clicked 'decline' before allowing his hand to drop back down to his side.

Worthless, trash, insane, psychotic- he had heard it all. On the outside, he had seemingly brushed it off, while on the inside it merely added to the growing list of insults constantly bouncing around in his brain. 

Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping!

Nagito didn't bat an eye, rolling on his side in attempt to ignore the noise.

Ping! Ping!

"Why would someone...someone as hope-filled as her..want to speak to trash like me...?" the Ultimate Luckster muttered to no one in peculiar, his words hanging in the air, as heavy as bricks. Bricks heavy enough to crush his shoulders when they fell.

Ping!

He relented at last, a hand groping around behind his green jacket to grasp his phone and bring it over to him, reading the last message.

(Y/N) (L/N): Nagito! Speak to me already. You're worrying me...please, talk to me. 

The white-haired boy was going to turn off the device, but another message appeared.

(Y/N) (L/N): You might think you're trash, but I believe you're a truly wonderful person. Seeing you, okay, everyday, brought a smile to my face. Nagito, I want you to reply- I'm about to alert Monomi and Monokuma.

Nagito tried his best to hold in a snort, clamping a hand over his mouth as he read the last sentence. Monokuma and Monomi, the headmaster and vice-headmaster of their school.

But her first words puzzled him. (Y/N) (L/N), the third out of his closest friends. The SHSL (Talent) compared to his pathetic title. Why would someone want to try and help him, out of all people? Gundham Tanaka needed talking to sometimes- the SHSL Animal Breeder often had panic attacks during school. 

Typing in his passcode, Nagito's fingers hovered over the keyboard, debating the words in his head as he ran them through carefully. 

Nagito Komaeda: Why do you keep attempting?

Blunt, honest, to the point- what answer would she reply with?

(Y/N) (L/N): Yay, you replied!

(Y/N) (L/N): *cue the snort* Well, obviously- I care about you.

She, care about him? What a laugh. 

Nagito Komaeda: I'm trash, and you've full of hope. Leave me be, (Y/N), it'll be better off this way for your hope-filled future.

She didn't answer right away, and the 'writing' icon, a pencil, didn't pop up. 

Nagito let out a short, bitter laugh- as he expected. He had convinced her to go away.

He was wrong.

(Y/N) (L/N) has sent a picture message!

(Y/N) (L/N): Do you see that picture there?

It was loading, the white circle going around as he waited.

Nagito Komaeda: It's loading. 

(Y/N) (L/N): Well, let me tell you what it says.

The Ultimate Luckster couldn't help but roll his grey eyes as she typed. He still couldn't see the picture, but the way she was at least trying brought a sorrowful smile to his lips. 

(Y/N) (L/N): H.O.P.E

That drew his attention. His eyes flicked over to the message immediately.

(Y/N) (L/N): Hold on, pain ends.

H: Hold

O: On

P: Pain

E: Ends

Hold on, pain ends. Hold on, pain ends. Hold on, pain ends. Hold on, pain ends. 

Nagito Komaeda: ...thank you. But why? 

(Y/N) (L/N): Worth it.

He was worth it. 

Not worthless. Worthwhile, worth something to someone one.

(Y/N) (L/N): :) Love ya, Nagito.

Love you. Something his family never said to him.

Nagito realized he was smiling. Not that sad, wistful smile he almost always had, but the bright, wide smile that caused his cheeks to hurt. And he knew his next words before the keyboard popped up. 

Nagito Komaeda: Love you too. <3


	3. Ghost of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was an idea for Post-SDR2, so... yeah, spoilers. So I guess this is the introduction?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know.

"No way! You're not erasing them from my mind- our minds."

"Akane-"

Cracking her knuckles, Akane Owari took a step forward. "Dunno about Souda and Ha- Izuru, but Baby Gangsta and Sonia ain't forgetting their loved ones!"

_Loved ones._

As I laced my fingers together, staring wistfully at the pods which held my comatose friends.

"Akane, Sonia, Fuyuhiko, Izuru, Kazuichi," Makoto Naegi addressed us. "I'm sorry to say that all those in comatose will have their plugs pulled in one week. We are erasing all memory of them from your minds tomorrow."

With his voice wavering, it seemed that he had practiced this in advance.

"Why?" Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu demanded.

"Any memory of Chiaki Nanami and everyone who is in current comatose would be better of erased from the memories of the Remnant of Despair," Kyoko Kirigiri responded, flicking her braid away from her eyes.

"Gh...! No way!" Akane repeated her previous statement, her dark eyes flashing.

Kazuichi Souda followed her suit, slapping the pants of his yellow jumpsuit for emphasis. "Yeah, yeah! We can't just do kazam and totally forget them! Well, unless Miss Sonia's up for it, then I totally am too."

"I stand against it," I spoke, wrapping my arms around myself. "I believe it would be rude of ourselves to forget the lives that are struggling to maintain life in those pods."

"I'm on her side!" As expected, Kazuichi made a hand-gesture at me.

"Izuru, you haven't spoke at all during this discussion," Kyouko noted.

"Stop referring to me as Izuru," Izuru Kamukura- otherwise known as Hajime Hinata spoke, his voice flat.

Despite winning over Izuru in terms of being controlled (the black-haired male only got out when Hajime was overcome by an emotion or panicking because of Hajime losing control), he still carried some of Izuru's characteristics, just like his voice and smile...or lack of the latter.

"I apologize," she replied, although her expression said she didn't really care about it. "Hajime?"

Hajime sighed, dropping his hand from where it had tangled in his dyed-brown hair. "I...honestly think it's a good idea..."

Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi gaped at him. "You're gonna forget Chiaki?!" The latter exclaimed.

"Chiaki and I were never romantically involved," Hajime shot back. "Besides, don't you think we'd be better off without wallowing over the despair of the fact eleven of our friends are trapped in a battle between life and death? It's rare that they'll get out alive. We should forget the whole killing game before they actually die. You know, to stay hopeful."

"Your Izuru and Nagito are showing at the same time," Fuyuhiko muttered.

Akane bristled at the name, but her steely gaze never moved from Makoto's. "We all say no."

"Akane, I just said-"

" _We all say no,_ " Akane repeated, glaring daggers at Hajime while threateningly punching her palm with her other fist.

"Like I said before," Makoto said, his eyes glassy with sadness. "We're plugging their pod plugs in one week. Your memories are being removed tomorrow."

"Hey!" Fuyuhiko roared, taking a step towards the blonde heir in the back- Byakuya Togami. "We just said no, dammit!"

"You have no choice, plebeian," Byakuya sneered in return.

"Nice first words to add to this conversation, Four-Eyes," Fuyuhiko snarled, his temper getting the best of him. "We said no. You get that, you shits?"

"It seems you are uneducated enough to misunderstand the fact that what we choose happens. We're supporting you, you remnants of the Ultimate Despair.

"Had you gone out into the world today, there is no doubt hatred would snatch at you feet while revenge fired guns at you," Byakuya finished calmly. "What we say goes."

Angrily, the Yakuza tore his gaze from him to stare at Makoto. "How can you tolerate and work with a bastard like him?"

"I never said I could tolerate him," Kyouko said with a straight face.

With a huff, Fuyuhiko spun on his heel and slammed the door open, sprinting down the hall in seconds.

I started after him for a moment, but a tan arm stopped me.

"Leave Baby Gangsta alone for awhile," Akane suggested. "Out of all of us, he prolly needs ta' cool off the most. He's known Pekoyama for forever."

"That's true..." But I couldn't stop my gaze from wandering back to our view of the hallway before Fuyuhiko's retreating back disappeared.

Hajime sighed. "Let's just...go for the night."

With that, he turned on his heel and left the room, his footsteps echoing away.

Looking over at Kazuichi, I could see the awkwardness in his gaze as he purposefully looked down at the ground, twirling his wrench. Akane herself was quiet, having withdrawn her arm and crossed it across her chest.

"I guess...we can get an answer from you tomorrow?"

In the thick tension of the room, none of us responded before I chose to.

"Yes, in fact. Thank you."

With that, I excused myself from the room.

-

"Sonia!"

"I am coming, Akane," I called back, finishing my hair as I put the black bow into place.

I exited my cottage, very similar to that of one I had on Jabberwock Island, but not before I stole a fleeting glance at the four hamsters curled up on a cushion near the doorway.

Akane looked no different then usual- a sandwich in one hand as she waited for me to arrive, a small metal figurine clutched in the other.

"I'm not entirely up to this," she sighed, very much unlike herself. "I mean...can't just forget Old Man Nidai and all, ya know?"

I nodded, choosing not to comment on her words. The body of the Ultimate Team Manager flashed through my head, blue liquid spilling out from the back of his head.

And the murderer...

I immediately banished the thought from my brain as I walked alongside Akane. The Gymnast was pretty quiet herself, eyes staring dully at sun, whose's tears of sunshine dripped down on us.

It was silent until about more of a third of the way there, until she spoke.

"...you know, do you think this will really help us?"

The crisp, morning wind tugged at my hair, and several blonde strands flew around my face before I answered.

"Perhaps..." I replied, my words heavy. "If we do forget being the Ultimate Despair, as well as everyone's comatose, it is possible we will be better off."

She squeezed Minimaru in response, looking rather depressed. That aside, we kept walking till we reached the Future Foundation's headquarters.

Kazuichi and Hajime were already awaiting us, hands clasped behind their backs. Fuyuhiko, however, was nowhere to been found.

"Hello, Sonia, Owari," Hajime greeted, and Akane's guarded gaze flicked over in his direction.

"Izuru, is that you?" I asked, not bothering to greet Hajime's other, and more rude personality.

"Yes. He was stressed."

Direct, to the point- only expected of him. The emotion had been wiped clean from his face, a mask of heartlessness.

"We are waiting for Fuyuhiko, correct?" My question seemed to snap everyone out of their silence, and they all looked at each other, searching for the boy.

"He's not coming," Izuru said at last. "His grief over forgetting Pekoyama is affecting him. He does not wish to be present."

At the smooth _vsst_ of an electric door sliding open, we all looked towards the sound. Makoto exited the building, and, of course, flanked by Byakuya and Kyouko.

"Hey, everyone," he nodded. "Everyone here besides Fuyuhiko?"

"Yes!" Kazuichi said, his voice loud compared to the gentle tone the other had used.

"Kyouko, can you-"

"Yes." Without Makoto finishing his sentence, she spun on her heel and left at a brisk pace.

"You totally got your eye on her," the Ultimate Mechanic said, scratching his cheek with a finger. "Hey, as long as it's not Miss Sonia, I'm totally up to shippin' you two."

Makoto turned a shade of red, hastily covering his face with his hands for a few moments."That-That's nonsense!" He spluttered, and Kazuichi merely laughed in response. The tension in the air was lifted, even for a few moments before Makoto regained his composure.

"...so you guys thought about it?"

"How boring," Izuru sniffed in response. "It's clear that no matter what they shall choose-" Kazuichi raised an eyebrow at this, looking at the black-haired male like ' You were dragged into this too', "...their memories will get erased."

I frowned. "I do not wish to forget the memories we shared on that island..!"

"It's not just the memories of Jabberwock Island," Byakuya sighed. "It's your memories of them overall. Their entire existence will be demolished. As for Kuzuryuu...I suppose we're going to have to take away those memories of his childhood with Pekoyama as well."

"...I'm sorry," Makoto said at last. He was looking at the ground, an arm tugged to his chest. "There's really...no other choice. It's been about a year and a half, and..."

"No," I cut in quickly. "I...we...completely understand, we were holding onto a hope that we shouldn't of had."

"Don't let Nagito hear you say that," Kazuichi muttered under his breath. "He'll pro-"

His words were interrupted by a loud "Don't you get it? I said no, for fuck's sake!" and everyone glanced towards the direction where the voice came from. It wasn't hard to identify the voice as Fuyuhiko, who was struggling in Kyouko's iron grip.

The detective wasted no time in dragging him up to the group, a hand keeping him from bolting.

"I said no!" he barked, "Don't you understand that, dumbasses?!"

"Too bad," Kyouko said, without an inch of emotion or sympathy in her expression.

"Come," Makoto said, before turning, walking towards the double-doors with Byakuya right beside him.

The Remnants of Ultimate Despair cast a glance at one another- Akane was clutching Minimaru tightly, Izuru had no expression whatsoever, Kazuichi had gone death pale, and Fuyuhiko was (still) muttering curses under his breath.

"All right," I said at last. "Shall we go?"

-

Why is it so hard to pretend that everything is okay?

From behind the desk, Makoto was on his knees, pulling various files out. "Sonia Nevermind..." he muttered, and I stiffened when I heard my full name. "Kazuichi Souda..."

We were in a dimly lit room, and I could tell by the green light ghosting over Byakuya's cheekbones and jawline that we were in a room right next to the others in comatose. Casting a fleeting glance at the five chairs set up, a quiver of uneasiness danced down my spine, but I kept a straight face, with a fake smile.

"Fuyuhiko, you're sitting in the one nearest to Makoto. Everyone else can disperse in the chairs how they wish."

I sat down in the chair between Fuyuhiko and Akane, catching a glimpse of Kazuichi's crestfallen face as he occupied the one next to Akane.

Was I really ready for my memories to be stolen, taken away as easy as stealing one's breath from their lungs?

"Close your eyes," Kyouko commanded. "Fuyuhiko, we're doing you last."

Beside me, I could hear the yakuza stiffen, fingers digging into the padding on each side of the armrest. I closed my eyes just like she had said, and felt something descend upon my head and face, as well as the metal wiring touching my nose.

"Ten..." her robotic, monotone voice floated around in my head. I could imagine myself in the dark room, looking upon this memories as they slipped away from my grasp.

_______"Fear not, my Dark Queen! I have tamed these fearsome beasts!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"________ Nine."

_________I tugged Gundam in the general direction of the stairs of the Strawberry House, hoping to get away with him before Kazuichi noticed. He looked down in surprise at me holding his arm, and nudged it so that I didn't touch the bandages on his left arm._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Eight."

___________"Interesting, interesting..." he mused. "It seems...that you yourself are immune to the poison that runs through my veins. Perhaps, you are a ruler of Hell much like I?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Seven."

_____________"My name is Gundam Tanaka! May you remember it, for it is the name that will rule this world!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Six."

_______________Four hamsters flew out of his scarf, two on his shoulders, one ran down to balance on his index and middle finger, and the last rested on his forearm. I clapped my hands together, my eyes lighting up in excitement. "Oh, your hamsters! They're so cute!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Five."

_______________"Th-Thank you," Gundam mumbled, tugging his purple scarf up to his nose to hide the red scrawls that appeared upon his cheeks. But his scarf didn't entirely cover it, I could still see the blush, and even the tips of his ears had turned red._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Four."

________________I found Gundam on the beach, crouched over his hamsters as they scurried around in the sand. He looked up when I approached. "Ah, Lady of Darkness, is my presence needed to benefit you tonight?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Three."

__________________His body hit the ground with a sickening slam, and Akane's grip tightened. I could see it in her eyes, too- she didn't like this. Gundam had murdered her coach, Nekomaru Nidai, and I could see slivers of tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. But at least she didn't have to see him die in front of your very eyes. A stream of blood dripped down the side of Gundam's skull, and the breeder didn't move, lying there, helpless and motionless._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Two."

______________________"Trying to defend me is not benefitting to a royal such as yourself," Gundam told me. "Keep this in mind, Sonia Nevermind- never give up on life. It is insulting to both life and death._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"One."

________________________Gundam turned and offered me a small smile. It was rare to see him like that, if you take into consideration how little time he spent with others, but it set my heart on fire in the way I hadn't experienced before._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________________"_________________________ Zero."

I desperately attempted to hold onto the memory of his face- his smile, name, and laugh had all slipped away- but my grip wasn't tight enough.

__________________________"I'm so sorry, Sonia Nevermind."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	4. Despair Countdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically a Naegiri I came up with. Soulmates AU :D. Most of the ideas I'm posting are story ideas I never really worked on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler-free this time! There's a cover I made for it in the beginning.

** **

**[MAKOTO]**

I flipped through another one of the pages, skimming through it before deeming it useless. The silence of the library almost made me afraid get up and move since I had neared the end of the book.

Useless.

I sighed, running my hands through my brown spikes to move the bangs out of my eyes. But I did shut the book, clamping it tightly in my hands as I moved to the shelf where I had gotten it from. As I did so, I ran my hand across the spine of the others before selecting one and walking back.

"Makoto."

Stopping where I stood, my muscles stiffened at the touch of someone's hand upon my shoulder. "Yeah, Kyoko...?"

My heart jackhammered against my ribcage as Kyoko Kirigiri allowed her hand to drop to her side after spinning me around to face her.

"You're checking out an awful lot of Clocksoul timers books."

"I'm just interested in them! That's all...!" I hastily hurried to tell the lie, but by the way her lips pursed, I could tell she didn't believe me.

"There is nothing _to_ be interested in," she drew out slowly. "Clocksoul timers are objects made by human kind to pull soul-mates together, as foolish as it sounds."

"Er..."

I didn't have a reply to that. I wasn't really surprised at her dry tone, either- Kyoko was the no-nonsense type of person, whose's personality had been almost crafted by her job of being a detective.

"...So, Kyoko, uh....how much time to you have left?"

My purple-haired friend glanced down at the inside of her wrist. I, of course, couldn't see anything. Clocksoul timers were only visible to those the owner allowed them to see and the actual owner. As always, her face was blank as she spoke.

"Three years, three weeks, five days, two hours, eighteen minutes, and...fifty-two seconds counting. I know it's not very much like me to ask such an intruding question, but how much time do you have left?"

I always hated lying. The words were false hope to anyone who heard it. Each time the same lie, each time the same guilt.

Clocksoul timers were the timers on the inside of your wrist, counting down to the time when you're supposed to meet your soul-mate. Well, it's supposed to, anyway. Mine's...mine's been on zero ever since I could remember.

"Couple years," I lied, choosing not to focus on a certain time.

Kyoko just nodded, but I could still see the doubt edging over her blank gaze. "Not exactly like mine, I hope?"

Her last words was like a sword through my gut. I made the act of looking down at my wrist again. "Nope."

Staring up at me, was that tiny, little imprinted zero. The same zero I had been staring at for years, and my inner resentment towards it only grew. Most people would be elated that they had already found their soulmate, but I...I really wasn't.

"Excuse me?"

A rather...fat employee ran up to us, hastily fixing his glasses as they slid down his nose. I squinted at his tag for a moment- _Hifumi Yamada_ \- before he started chattering. "The library is closing, so may you two leave in about five minutes?"

"Uh, sure?" I glanced at Kyoko for confirmation, but she had neared the Clocksoul Timers shelf and too pulled out a book.

"I can leave now," was all she said as she typed in her code on the computer and scanned the book. "I bid you farewell, Makoto."

Just like that, the purple-haired girl was gone, her hair flying out behind her.

With a book tucked under my arm, I headed over to the check-out station, typing in my code. _77431214._ The station beeped, signaling I had signed in, and I ran the barcode under the scanner before clicking 'reset' and heading towards the door.

If I had to guess, I would place the time around nine PM. The sun's light had died in the skies long ago, and now the night sky twinkled above me, stars glimmering on the clear night.

The whole setting was a little eerie, with lights flickering on and off constantly, but I was completely fine with walking home along. Sometimes the night would be cloudy and that would terrify me, so I would hurry home.

But on a night like this, with the moon clearly visible, all it did was calm my nerves. I had always liked cool nights like this, where the wind ruffled my hair and allowed me to gather my thoughts calmly.

 _Kyoko's timer is still ticking_.

I hated when my mind decided to hit me with reality. Honestly.

Just like that, my mental gears who were happy just a moment ago came to a stop before backpedalling into the depths of despair.

Under the moonlight, I held my wrist up for me to see, at the zero which had be haunting me.

I had seen my friends' timers tick down. Granted, I haven't actually seen it happen- soul-mates meeting- but...I heard it was an unbelievable experience. But I can't ever experience it again: if I had it the first time, anyway.

I couldn't remember. I couldn't remember if there was ever a spark between someone and me in the days before my timer had ran out- days filled with peaceful memories. Now, my days were filled with a sad type of happiness, the tainted kind.

The kind that is like fine sand, able to slip through your fingers at any moment.

Walking along, I crossed over the bridge. At the sound of tinkling water, my shoulder sagged,

I had no chance with having a 'happy ever after' like they did in stories.

It's because I fell in love with someone whose time is still ticking, who has yet to meet their soul-mate.

_I'm a foolish idiot._

Just at the thought of that accursed zero caused my muscles to tighten. Out of all the records shown to the public, there was only one who had the case of the zero: Yasuhiro Hagakure.

The poor guy had died alone at the age of eighty-four and believed in ghosts, zombies, aliens, and told fortunes.

What a truly wonderful fate web I've trapped myself in.

As I walked along, I caught the glimpse of two couples in the park. On the swings, there was a laughing brunette as she swung back and forth on the swings like a child, while her boyfriend (I assumed) leaned on the bars, arms crossed over his chest as he watched her. Their laughs were as clear as this night- cutting cleanly through the air.

I've been in love with Kyoko for a long time. It was sometime after my timer went to zero. Everything was after my timer went to zero.

Before I knew it, I was standing in front of my house. It was nothing much- a family of three with my sister, my mother, and me. My hand knocked without me really recognizing it, and the door swung open.

"Big Brother, you're late!"

"Sorry, Komaru," I laughed sheepishly, shoving the dark thoughts to the back of my mind as I scratched my neck. "I was at the library with Kyoko..."

My sister's eyes lit up. "I told you, it's going to be real! My ship shall sail: Naegiri!"

With that, she bounced away.

Sometimes you just couldn't hate little sisters for embarrassing you in front of basically no one.

A chuckle escaped my lips, but I could tell, as I glanced at the mirror near the shoe rack as I discarded my shoes, the hollowness in my eyes were still there.

But it was time to drown out my thoughts on video games like the typical teen would.


	5. Living Battle Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-SDR~ Fuyuhiko reflects upon the recent events and tries to adapt to Peko's deteriorating memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another kinda sad one-shot I'll probably leave unfinished...

_Blood. Blood. Blood._

_"Young Master!"_

_The last thing I could see out of my right eye was Peko's shocked expression, droplets of blood splattering on her dark clothes. Her sword was raised above her head, like she had been in control of it, but the disbelief on her face told me otherwise._

_Just as the thought flickered across my mind, agonizing pain stopped me in my tracks, making all my movements and thoughts slow to a halt as the pain was seared in my mind._

_Peko dropped her sword, rushing on over to me. I could barely feel the cool skin of her hand pressing against my bleeding eye, the white-hot pain making the rest of my skin go numb._

_"Young...Master...I do apologize..."_

_Pulling me to her chest, I could hear the quick, somewhat even beating of Peko's heart, but the footsteps of the machines almost drowned it out._

_It was when the noise came closer that my heartbeat sped up, when I could hear the_ **_shing_ ** _of the blade being lifted out of its sheath-_

"Fuyuhiko?"

Shaking myself out of my flashback, I glanced over at the swordswoman that sat across from me.

_Fuyuhiko. Not Young Master._

No matter how many times I had insisted, Peko had always called me by 'Young Master', and nothing else.

But that was before all this, before we were trust into that _damned_ game, before Peko was executed, before she awoke from her coma.

We never would've guessed that she- along with the other three that had woken up (Gundam, Nekomaru, and Teruteru)- have amnesia. Not only of the Mutual Killing game, but of her whole life.

Of our whole _friendship._

"Fuyuhiko?"

Again, I blinked as she waved a hand in front of my face. "Sorry," I mumbled.

Peko allowed her hand to drop to her side, analyzing me with keen crimson eyes. "Very well," she murmured.

I focused on the bandages now wrapped across her fingers , the same fingers that had been cut by the slip of my knife. Just the smallest amount of blood speckling Peko's clothing had sent me spiraling back to that day.

"...You all right?" _Shit. How pitiful._

"Yes," she responded in the same tone she always used with people she didn't know well. Detached. "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."

Just the edge behind her tones, the hidden guard made my stomach tighten. It's almost like she didn't know me.

 _She doesn't remember you,_ I reminded myself under my breath.

"May I ask you a question?"

I lifted my head in response, and Peko set down the potato slicer, glancing at the shaved potato before tossing it in the pot.

"Go ahead. I don't really give a shit."

"What did I awake from?"

_A nightmare. A nightmare. A nightmare._

"...a fucking coma. So what?"

She raised an eyebrow at my choice of words. "And why was I in a coma?"

_Shit, over the boundary. Sonia told us not to speak to them about the whole game until they get comfortable._

"Er...you were attacked by...swordsmen. Yeah, swordsmen."

Her gaze didn't waver.

"Dammit. Nevermind," I scowled, shoving the uneaten sandwich away from me. 

"It has to do with your eye injury, doesn't it?"

_I hate her and her damn intuition._

"No, goddammit. Shut up," I said. 

Finally leaving the subject, Peko went back to work peeling the potatoes. I watched her hands for a moment before deciding to leave the room.

**X - O - X**

"Teeny Gangster?"

My eyes flicked open at the nickname, and a growl rumbled at the back of my throat as someone lifted my fedora off my head. On instinct, I squinted at the person who did so. "What the hell, Owari?"

Akane Owari lifted her shoulders in a shrug, dropping my favorite hat on the floor as she did so. "I was gonna go train," she punched her fist. "But I saw somethin' there that ya might wanna see." 

"Whatever," I grumbled, reaching down to snatch up my fedora, then swinging my legs over the side of the bed and headed towards the door.

She stopped me.

I opened my mouth to swear at her, but she flicked a finger at the area above my right eyelid. "Eyepatch, Babyface. If Peko sees your injury, she'll probably flip." 

"She wouldn't," I said under my breath but did what she said, walked over to the tabletop, and strapped my eyepatch over the half-healed injury. "It's not like she cares, anyway."

She shot me a wild grin. "Sure."

"And for the last fucking time, don't call me-"

Akane left the room before I could finish.

I shoved the fedora on my head, muttering under my breath as I stole a glance at the alarm clock near my bed. The green display blinked annoyingly back at me, revealing that it was about four in the morning.

"Akane, why the hell would you be training at four in the morning? And is it worth my damn time?"

**X - O - X**

"I think this is the first time she's picked up a sword since she woke up," Akane whispered from behind me, her voice low. The action was very un-Akane-like in my opinion, so I resisted the urge to jump and just kept peering through the crack in the door.

Peko didn't miss a beat as the worn dummy as ripped to shreds by the sleek blade, moving from the target onto the next. Without warning, the weapon whipped through the air, followed by a series of slashes the swordswoman had accurately (and perfectly) executed. 

 _She never lost her touch with a blade,_ I mused. 

The shuffling of feet told me Akane has left, and honestly, that made my shoulders sag with relief. 

"Fuyuhiko, would you kindly explain why you are watching?"

 _Ah, damn_. 

I kept silent, hoping that she might just mistake it for her instincts. But I was wrong when a white flash scarred the wood that was (really) close to my face, and I couldn't help but release the unmanly yelp. "Shit, Peko! You nearly cut my fucking eye open!" 

The said woman nudged the door farther open, glancing at me with her blood red eyes. Her cold gaze sent shivers down my spine, and her eerie eye-color did nothing to help.

"Why were you watching me?"

"Akane- I mean- you're- _shit._ "

She sighed, the action causing several locks of her silvery-grey hair to billow out of her face, offering me a hand. "You're a terrible liar," she informed me.

I rubbed my neck as I pulled myself up, averting my gaze as my cheeks burned. "Goddammit, stop shoving it in my face."

 

 


	6. Princess, Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After years of being tossed around like a toy, Sonia Nevermind's fate is decided. Being the princess of the Nevermind family, her father and mother, of course, wants to get her married as soon as possible.
> 
> Now that Sonia has turned sixteen, her parents are allowed to ship her off to marry whoever they would like, with no care about her opinion of her future husband.
> 
> Which is why Sonia vowed never to love anyone again. With the date of finding a husband coming closer, she can't afford falling in love with someone who she can't be with.
> 
> That is, what she thought before she found a letter addressing her from someone she's never seen before. But he's seen her.
> 
> -  
> Gundam Tanaka has lived a tough life. Supplying him and his younger sister, Peko, as well as his older brother, Nekomaru, he's landed himself the job of driving Princess Sonia's carriage every day.
> 
> It was enough to keep his family off the streets.
> 
> When he writes a letter to the said Princess, thanking her for the job, he never expected for her to respond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have another cover for this one~

_Dear Princess Nevermind,_

_I would like to thank you for the fact your and your family's kindness which has given me enough money for the time being to supply my family of three._

_Of course, I can understand if you drop this letter as if you are disgusted from the lowly peasant like I. I have seen you before, but indeed, I do not doubt that you never spared me a glance or laid eyes upon me before._

_I am your carriage driver. I do apologize for the bumps I may have accidentally driven over upon your ride, and has given you discomfort._

_Once more, I would like to thank you. When I was helping you out of the car, I had stumbled. You, however, caught my hand and pulled me upright before giving me one of the brightest smiles I have ever seen._

_Now, may I address the fact that the carriage driver is supposed to pull the princess up, not vice versa._

_Although, Princess, I must admit you have a very...exuberant smile. It suits you._

_Pardon me. I have gotten off track. Please give your father and mother my gratitude, even if they do not accept it from a...demon from hell like me._

_I saw you leave the carriage with someone who accompanied you. I assume that is your father, or...possibly a future husband. I wish you luck in finding love._

I read over the letter again, unable to stop the smile from touching my lips. _Such a gentleman, really,_ I mused, focusing on one of his sentences. The words were structured well, as if spoken hesitantly by a man who takes his time.

Searching through the lines of carefully written text, a frown inched across my face. "What a shame," I sighed wistfully. "This young man didn't leave his name."

It was a true experience, really. For someone I have never met before to compliment on my smile. A true compliment, rather then the fake ones I receive from everyone I pass by.

"Sonia...?"

"Yes, Mother?" I responded, but my gaze didn't leave the letter from the carriage-driver.

"...I'm not...your Mother..."

The words were followed by the noise of someone yawning.

Turning my head, I could see one of my closest friends standing in the doorway of my large room. Chiaki Nanami covered her mouth with one hand as she yawned again, her morganite-colored eyes bleary with what I assumed was drowsiness.

At her sleepy gaze, I slid the paper into my desk, face-down, hoping that her keen (yet looking almost always innocent and wanting to sleep) eyes couldn't catch onto it. But my attempts were useless.

"What's that...?" She questioned.

"Nothing of concern, really," I assured her. Pursing her lips, Chiaki did nothing else besides blink at me.

"You...you do realize..." another yawn caused her to pause. "...I'll...find out soon?"

When Chiaki dropped her hand, I tried my best to change the topic. "If you're here, I assume..."

"Yeah."

Last time Chiaki had been to the Nevermind estate, she had come home late due to dozing off. The consequence was that she couldn't 'come over' until, like me, her parents found her a husband.

Chiaki made a so-so gesture. "They're in the middle of deciding it between two people- brothers, actually. Hajime and Izuru...to be honest, I prefer Hajime."

A sigh escaped my lips. "Honestly. We're not toys."

She wandered over to where I was sitting, plopping onto a nearby chair after bringing it over to my desk. "Whose's the letter from...?"

"My carriage driv- wait, how did you..."

I clamped a hand over my mouth, but she lunged at the opening before snatching up the paper, reading over it.

"...it's seems you have a secret admirer."

"It's not that secret," I pointed out. "He said he was our carriage driver, no?"

Thinking back, I tried to summon a face to mind. A face from the incident he had mentioned himself.

A single, grey lightning bolt-like shape almost shimmered to surface.

Nothing else.

My friend cocked her head, eyes thoughtful. "Sonia, are you thinking in writing back to him...?"

I went silent, and my hand froze from where I had been reaching for a pen. "Yes. After all, he had been polite and reached out to me."

"He could be...I don't know, a zombie..."

Raising my gaze to look at her, I set a sheet of paper down. "For the _last time,_ Chiaki, zombies aren't real. You may believe in them, but I do not. If he is a zombie...well, that will be an experience, no?"

She shrugged, but I could see a hint of a smile on her lips. "Go on, then. Write..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The past three one-shots where found in random tid-bits around the house.. *shrugs* Which is surprising, since I only got into the fandom... around early November? I have a second part written out as well, abiet shorter, since I'll edit it, but it's the next chapter- Gundam's part. 
> 
> Also, thank you for 13 kudos. It means a lot to me, makes me feel all fuzzy inside... <3


	7. Princess, Princess [Part 2]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gundam's part. A bit more darker compared to our princess, but on the other hand, when you first look at him, he's a emo guy. But he's actually a dork with hamsters...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes, Nekomaru and Peko are Gundam's siblings. I love all three to death, and for certain reasons, Nekomaru's middle name is Nidai while his last is Tanaka, while Peko's middle name is Pekoyama.

_Dear Kind Sir,_

_I do not mind if you address me as Sonia. Even if you do consider yourself low, I do not because many people don't express their kindness as you have._

_Yes, the man you saw me with was my father, King Nevermind or Lord Nevermind, depending on what you would prefer. We had just came back from another interview with the Kuzuryuu clan, but my father was not interested in the oldest son, Fuyuhiko._

_A family of three...an only child, I presume? Ah, I share the same...fate, if you will. If that word does not suit you, feel free to change it in your mind._

_Why thank you for your nice compliment. I would call you by name, but I have no name to go off of. Kind Sir, if you do have the time to respond to this letter, please give me something to address you by, okay? Teehee._

_Not many people have spoken about me like you have. For you to pay me such a nice comments about my smile, that truly makes me feel warm inside._

_From what I gathered, you're a very polite and good-man. I do wish my husband will have the same qualities in the future._

_Ah, once again. Thank you for your luck._

_-Sonia_

"Gundam, what are you smiling about?"

I glanced up as my sister said this, meeting her crimson-colored eyes. "Nothing that would concern you," I said dismissively, waving it off with a hand.

Adjusting her battered and broken glasses, Peko stared at me, her gaze piercing, as if to stare right through me. But after a moment, she averted her gaze. "Nekomaru's late again," as she spoke, I could detect volumes of pure tiredness in her voice.

Sighing, I risked a glance through the window, and the sky's dying sunlight told me she was right. "He was supposed to be here before nightfall...how dare he..." Running a hand through my gray-streaked hair, I folded Sonia's letter before pocketing it, and changed the subject.

"...Peko, you're working under the Kuzuryuu's, isn't that right?"

She blinked before slowly nodding. "I'm training to be Fu- I mean, Master's bodyguard."

I only stared at her incredulously. "Master...?"

"If that's what they wish for me to call them, that I shall."

"That's bull!"

Whoever spoke came from the doorway. I lifted my head to see my older brother, Nekomaru, standing in the doorway.

If you saw us three in the public, there was no way you would've thought we were related. While I was the lean and tall one, with black hair and grey eyes, Peko had unnatural red eyes and silvery-grey hair, along with glasses. Nekomaru was the tallest, standing at six-foot-six, with black hair and equally dark eyes.

"That could be debated," I mused. "It fully depends on what point of view you have."

Nekomaru lifted his shoulders in a shrug before discarding his flimsy jacket, tossing it carelessly to the ground before he left the room, probably to go to the bedroom him and I shared together.

"...is something bothering you, Gundam?"

The question came from Peko. I glanced over at my little sister, at her brow furrowed in thought, but merely shook my head. "Nothing at all."

She raised an eyebrow, tucking a curl of grey hair behind her ear. "I don't believe you."

My fingers, stuffed inside my pocket, curled around Sonia's letter. "Peko."

"Gundam," she replied in the same tone. "That's from Lady Sonia, is it not?"

Her words hung in the air, heavy on my shoulders. I chose not to respond with my voice, just lifting my gaze to look into her red eyes. "I told you, it's nothing."

"...If you say so. Good night."

"Good night," I returned. "I'll go to sleep soon as well."

After she left the room, I slid the now crumpled paper from my pocket, smoothing it out on my leg before reading over the words.

"You think I live with my parents...?" I wondered out loud, an almost dark smile tugging on my lips. "...it's been years since I knew that feeling."

As I read on, a painful feeling entered my heart. I could tell her guard was slowly coming down, how her words slowly became more at ease.

"She answered me..."

The paper fell from my fingertips as I lay back, closing my eyes.

I thought of Sonia and her smile. Instantly, when she offered that one, true smile to me- not a fake reserved for others- my day brightened.

_Look at me. I'm pathetic._

_I might as well reply to her,_ I thought. My lie to Peko earlier caused another pang in my heart as I got up and trudged with heavy steps towards the shabby table.


	8. Heal Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers. Hajime's trying to adjust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is short, but I just felt like writing it.   
> I just want to say, I also deal with depressing much like Hajime is in here (Although he doesn't flat-out mention it). If you do, it's all right, honey, keep fighting. You can talk to me. I love you <3\. You have a whole life ahead of you. I've learned by now that I shouldn't ever take someone's feelings for granted. Just remember, there's someone in the world that loves your smile. They love your laugh, they love your eyes, they love you.

Everything hurt.

Hajime Hinata doesn't know how much time had passed ever since he awoke from the simulation.

Along with him, Akane Owari, Kazuichi Souda, Sonia Nevermind, and Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu had also woken up.

"Hinata-san?"

The question comes from the doorway, but Hajime doesn't open his eyes. How long has he been laying in this hospital bed?

"Leave him be," someone says, and Hajime can only identify him as Byakuya Togami. The real Byakuya Togami.

"But T-"

" _Naegi,"_ Byakuya reprimands, and the patter of footsteps tells the hospitalized student that they left the room.

A twitch of his fingers causes Hajime to stare at his hands. The overgrown fingernails are caked with dirt from the last time he had been outside- two months ago.

His health has only diminished since he had gone to the hospital. It takes Hajime a few moments to retrieve memories, and even imagining the face of the other four survivors proves hard for him.

Pain spikes through his head as Hajime brushes it with the tips of his fingers. The bump burns when he touches it, but only causes mild discomfort when he's not, and Hajime purposefully presses on the bruise to distract his mental pain.

Drifting to the window, his gaze drops down to the ground that oh-so-far below him. The Future Foundation building's height only offers him sickness, so Hajime looks towards the door again.

A computer is set on the table. Makoto had entrusted him with it, and Hajime finds comfort in the black screen.

It isn't long before he swings his legs over the bed, withdrawing his legs from the tangle of white sheets. He detaches himself from the wrap around his wrist that allows Makoto to know when he's in the bed.

For the first time in what seems like years, the cold floor causes his feet to go numb. A few moments pass as Hajime soaks in the feeling of something other then the thin veil of the sheet.

Hajime shifts his weight so that the heels of his feet touch the ground.

Minutes tick by as he just sits on the bed, legs extended before he gets up, and with slow, robotic movements, moves towards the small desk.

Taking a seat, Hajime presses a finger against the power button of the green computer, his hazel eyes watching the screen for any sign of life before he also presses the pink-and-white button at the bottom left of the computer.

The pop-up box is the same as the other multiple ones that he had seen when he attempted to turn on the computer.

_This program is currently unavailable. Chiaki Nanami is powered down._

His fingers drift towards the second button next to the first one. This time, it is a green button, and the screen turns a light shade of the color.

"Master Hinata," the face on the computer greets him with a smile. "It's been a long time."

"... Alter Ego," he replies. "Yeah, it has... I hope you're not lonely because of me?"

"Not at all," 'Alter Ego' says, smiling softly at the teenager. "... Master Hinata, are you all right?'

_No, I'm not all right. I'm tired, I'm exhausted, I feel like hell inside, my heart feels like it's been burned, I've been betrayed, everything hurts, and I fight everyday to stop me from hurting myself._

"Perfectly fine." 

_Pain changes people. I now walk with the broken, and I don't know how to speak happiness anymore._


	9. Run Until You Can't Hide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sato needs to run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little insight on Sato's murder~ My insight on it, anyway.

_Run. Run. Run._

Sato was going to die.

Her own footsteps rung in her ears as she dashed through the hallways of Hope's Peak Academy.

The quick feet of her chaser grew closer, and Sato quickened her pace.

_I'm going to die. A murderer is murdered... How? How did he find out I was the one who killed her?_

Fear coursed through her veins, and she stumbled, skidding around a corner and bumping into a wall. With one hand on the wall to steady herself, Sato lifted her head to check behind her.

"That's right! Run until you can't lift your legs, Sato!" Someone snarled.

Inhaling sharply, Sato started again.

_He won't be able to get into the dorms._

Slowly, surely, Sato turned another corner. The stairs to the second floor greeted her, and she looked behind her once more. The slam of shutting doors caused her to jump, then dart up the stairs.

The locker rooms were to the left of her when she came upstairs. She couldn't circle back, and besides, her fear wouldn't have let her- he was on the first floor, probably near the entrance of the doors.

The girl's locker rooms were the next best thing.

She scanned her ElectroID- profiles on everyone in her class. It wasn't useful for anything else except for entering the locker-rooms and getting to your locker.

The light pink walls caused her to shiver. Such bright colors always unnerved her- they were warped, distorting, and made her eyes sting.

"Is it safe enough to go into the lockers near the pool...?" Sato wondered out loud. He would never look in the lockers, and he wasn't allowed in the girl's locker room.

Her choice was made. Sato slipped into the swimming area, and her footsteps echoed softly off the walls. In the very back, she located her hiding spot- a row of blue lockers.

_I'm scared._

_I'm scared. I'm scared. I'm terrified._

It was robotic, almost. Her movements were stiff, jerky. The lock clicked together with ease, and Sato's dark eyes peered out between the metal binds.

Minutes.

Hours, even.

They blended together as Sato just stood there, her legs aching.

It was hard to crouch, but with her knees drawn to her chest, she managed to sit down in the locker and hunch over, her head in her hands.

She hadn't left school yet. He was waiting there. He was waiting for her. And just like Sato did his sister, he was going to kill her.

In the distance, something clanged together. Sato jerked upright, her black hair flying over her head and getting into her mouth and eyes.

Silence followed. Her palms were slick with sweat, and she hastily ran them over her uniform.

Terror.

Thunder that shook your mind and soul.

Lightning that stole sight from your eyes for the briefest of milliseconds.

The door wrenched open, and Sato screamed as the blade flashed across her eyes, taking a large chunk of the door with it.

"Hiding in the locker isn't the most courageous of actions," Peko Pekoyama commented, raising her blade again. "Aren't you the supposed leader of your little group?"

Ducking out of the locker, Sato managed to evade another slash. The metal inside of the locker now bore a hideous scar, the metal having puckered up, edges sharp.

 _Only expected of the Ultimate Swordswoman,_ Sato thought, backing up.

Peko took her time in facing her, readying her sword. She wasn't usually allowed to have it on school grounds- but all of the staff had gone.

The sleek, silver blur was almost too fast for her to catch. Sato shifted her weight back to her back foot, and a spark of pain lit in her cheek as the evasive movement allowed only her cheek to be cut.

She wasted no time in getting out, stumbling into the hallway without a single glance behind her at the advancing swordswoman.

He was waiting.

A hand slid into his pocket, with the other cradling a bat behind his arm, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu blocked off the staircase to the first floor.

Sato didn't have the guts to look behind her, but she had no doubt that Peko was blocking off the staircase to the third.

"So we meet, it seems," Fuyuhiko said, his words snarled and clipped. " _Murderer._ "

"Lay off!"

" _Bitch,"_ Fuyuhiko jeered back, voice lurking with barely-concealed venom. "Sato, am I right?"

She stiffened at her name. Taking this as a confirmation, the Ultimate Yakuza took a step forward.

Sato took a step back. Then another. And another.

Until she felt the finely honed tip of Peko's sword prob her spinal cord.

"I would advise against doing that," the grey-haired woman suggested.

"I won't do anything, ya know," Fuyuhiko shrugged," Tell ya what... Why don'tcha go inside that classroom," he jerked his head to the side. "And we'll leave you alone? Just one favor."

_No. This is a trap._

Sato could see it.

It was in his smirk, his face, his words, the way he held himself. Most of all, it was in his sandy-brown eyes.

_Hopelessness._

_No,_ Sato automatically corrected herself. _Not hopelessness, yet it is._

_Despair._

"Peko, blade down," Fuyuhiko commanded. After glancing over her shoulder, it was surprise that flickered through her at the sight of the sword at the girl's feet.

"See?" Fuyuhiko grinned- too widely for her comfort. "It'll be just fine. Just go into the classroom."

"Just fine," the black-haired girl repeated weakly, slowly walking to where he had ordered. His eyes burned into her back- unforgiving, cruel, even desperate- feeding fuel to her flames of fear.

_Should I call Mahiru? Hiyoko? Ibuki? Mikan?_

_No. I can't risk getting them in danger. I killed his sister, this is my punishment._

The door clicked shut behind her.

"How fitting for a murderer," Fuyuhiko said behind her.

All the former calm in his voice was gone. Malice resonated strongly, and his knuckles shook by his side, one gripping the bat tightly.

"To be murdered," Sato finished softly, and pressed her back against the wall. "Th-That's what you're going to do, isn't it?"

" _Precisely."_

Fuyuhiko shifted closer, and reached up, grabbing her hair and yanking. Sato stared down at him, her teeth digging into her bottom lip.

"Here's what you don't understand. Damaged people are dangerous, Sato. They know they're going to survive," he whispered. "And they know they're going to bring _despair."_

Her breath hitched, and Sato's eyes never caught sight of the bat until it had smashed into her skull.


	10. Kuzupeko: Post-Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After all this time, she woke up. Fuyuhiko had never been so happy. Spoilers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if you noticed already, but I am complete and utter Kuzupeko trash. I daydream about these two almost every single freaking day. The quotes I got from Pinterest... which got it from who-knows-where.

"Fuyuhiko?"

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu had always been a light-sleeper. It had come to the point where footsteps could wake him up. Constant probing at his right shoulder caused him to sit up, rub his eyes, and wipe off a spider that had tip-toed over his left hand, which was splayed out against the cool glass of the pod. 

"Hey, Sonia..." he muttered after a moment. "D'ya need somethin'...?"

His speech and words were slurred to the point that Sonia, if she had not been looking at him, might have mistaken his voice for Kazuichi's. _Sleep deprivation is clearly taking his toll on him_ , she noted, pinning a loose blonde strand behind her ear. 

"Don't you think it is time for some rest?" she asked, cocking her head. "Your shift ended almost two hours back, and Akane was supposed to take it up for you, but she had fallen asleep on the couch. I had let her be."

He almost seemed like he was about to object. Standing up from his chair, Fuyuhiko stumbled towards the door, his right leg and left arm having fallen asleep. 

_(Sleep doesn't help unless it's your soul that's tired)_

The scrap of the chair was rather loud, and the Ultimate Princess winced. "My apologizes..." she whispered to those in comatose. Lifting the chair to move it, she paused, then set it back down. 

_(You found parts of me I didn't know existed, and in you, I found a love I no longer believed was real)_

Peko's presence was alive. 

_(But the most beautiful things in life are not just things, they're the people, and the places, the memories and the pictures. They're the feelings and moments and smile and laughter)_

It's been a long time since Sonia had felt it, but it was there. Her legs, instead of shaky under the weight of almost crying, stood tall. Letting go of the chair, Sonia straightened and stared at the pod that held Peko Pekoyama.

_(I'm wearing the smile you gave me)_

She wasn't as intimidating with her eyes closed- her hair was out of her braids, the white ribbons instead being tied around her wrists. 

_(I knew I loved you when 'home' went from being a place to being a person)_

"Fuyuhiko is waiting," she said to the comatose swordswoman. "We all are. But I believe that he wishes to see you the most. As much as I want to see Gundam, or Akane Nekomaru, I would be delighted if you woke. If any of us woke."

_(Because I could watch you for a single minute, and found a thousand things I love about you)_

Sonia released a heavy, thick sigh, pressing her pale hand to the surface of the glass. "He loves you, you know," she said softly. "More then anything. Peko, please come back to him. For him."

_(I swear I couldn't love you more then I do right now, and yet I know I will tomorrow)_

Several moments of pure silence passed. It was like everything had gone quiet- the hum of the machines, Sonia's breathing, everything had stilled before Sonia's very eyes until Peko's eyelids fluttered.

_(I fell in love with the way you touched me with your heart, not your hands)_

At first, Sonia thought it was an illusion. But when slivers of red began to peek out from under her pale eyelids, she pressed one hand to her chest and left the other resting on the pod. 

_(You're my favorite place to go when my mind searches for peace)_

"Peko," she said hoarsely, her mouth going dry. Peko was waking. That means everyone else had an even chance, even Nekomaru and Nagito. 

_(People say you only truly fall in love once- that's a lie. Every time I see you, I fall in love all over again)_

Her hands, frantic, found the button under sharp edge of the pod. It was small, but as her fingers roamed around trying to find it, they brushed the button. Taking her guess in what it was, Sonia applied pressure to whatever her fingers were touching. 

_(I like it when you smile, but I love it when I'm the reason)_

It was like a heart beating as the top of the pod flipped open, and the large gasp that came from the person occupying it told the Ultimate princess that she really was awake. Breathing the oxygen that was in this building, not the machine-supplied oxygen.

_(You're safe with me, I promise. Look me in the eyes, hold me a little tighter, and smile. Because I'm not going anywhere without you by my side)_

Peko's first movements were stiff, robotic- as she rose out of her pod, hunched over, blinking absently, Sonia held her breath.

_(Every time I laugh, I hope you're watching, hoping that you will fall for my smile just like I had for yours)_

Slowly, the Ultimate Swordwoman cocked her head towards her, and those glassy red irises focused then unfocused. Peko's glasses were with Fuyuhiko, so she doubted Peko could actually identify her.

_(We were given two eyes, two ears, two arms, two legs, but one heart. Why? Because we were supposed to find the other)_

Her hand strayed to where the drawstring bag of the bamboo sword usually was, but her hands grasped empty air, and Peko lowered it back to the area in the pod. 

_(If only you knew how much those little moments with you mattered to me)_

"... Young Master...?" 

_(They told her that to make her fall in love, I had to make her laugh. But every time she laughs, I'm the one to fall in love)_

"Fuyuhiko's in his room, sleeping," Sonia explained hurriedly, striding closer and offering a hand to Peko.

_(Before I met you, I never knew what it was like to look at someone and smile for no reason)_

"... Sonia?" The girl asks, her eyes zeroing in on her hand, then her face. 

_(I can't get my mind off of you because my mind always know what my heart is thinking)_

"Sonia!" _  
_

_(You have me. Until every last star in the galaxy dies, you have me)_

Both teenagers looked towards the doorway at the noise. Standing there was the outline of Kazuichi and Akane, the latter being the one who called her name.

_(It's unbelievable meeting someone who understands even the dustiest corners of your soul)_

"So I heard the alarm t- Peko!" Kazuichi gasps, his face betraying his shock and relief. "I'm gettin' Fuyuhiko, hang on...!"

_(I fell in love with you because you loved me when I couldn't love myself)_

Finally, Peko raised herself out of her pod, staring at the retreating back of the mechanic. "... who is he getting?" She asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

_(I would find you in any lifetime)_

"Who do ya think?" Akane replied, scratching at her cheek with a thumb. 

_(When I follow my heart, it leads me to you)_

Peko just turned away, but Sonia caught the light that had sparked in her eyes, as if her heart had flipped on within. 

 _(You don't just stop loving someone. You either always will, or you never did in the first place)_  

A clatter of footsteps. Kazuichi and Hajime skidded down the hall, but there was no sight of the yakuza on their heels.

_(My heart will always be yours in the past, present, and the future)_

"Where is he?" Akane demanded.

_(When I saw you, I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew)_

"Said it was a joke we're playin' on him or somethin'," Kazuichi grumbled, swiping a finger across his nose. "S'Not like we would, that's somethin' we don't joke 'bout." 

_(I wish I could turn back the clock so I could find you sooner and love you longer)_

"Peko!" Hajime shouted, and everyone turned towards the swordswoman, who was already half-way down the hall, her grey-silvery hair flying behind her in untamed waves as she darted down the hall.

_(A serious girl, when she finds someone who calms her spirit and quiets her busy thoughts, will love you fiercely)_

"I'll stay here," the short comment from Akane seemed to do it, and the other three dashed after the running Pekoyama.

_(You're pretty much my most favorite of all time in the history of forever)_

It happened quickly as she seemed to brake, slamming the heel of her palm against the wall to steady herself. 

_(I can't even explain how good it feels to look up across the room and see you smiling at me)_

"... Peko?"

_(Your voice is my favorite sound, your laugh is my favorite beat, and you are my favorite everything)_

Raw emotion clogged up Fuyuhiko's throat as he stared at the girl he had been waiting for. Four months, nothing. Eight months, nothing. Twelve, nothing. But here she stood, in front of him, eyes blinking. 

_(I just want to thank you for being my reason to look forward to the next day)_

"Peko, say my name, please," he whispered, voice cracking as he took an uneven, wobbling step forward.

_(Ever since I met you, no one else has been worth thinking about)_

"Youn... no," Peko shook her head. "Fu.... Fuyu... hiko...?" 

_(If you love someone, you love them with their scars, their sadness, and their flaws)_

Something seemed to shatter as a droplet of water spilled from Fuyuhiko's working eye. He was just standing there, speechless, his tooth digging into his lower lip, before a dam shattered.

_(I love my eyes when you look into them, my name when you say it, my heart when you touch it, and my life when you're in it)_

Fuyuhiko's movements were too quick to register, as he broke into a sprint, grabbing her around the waist and spinning her around. Among the other three, they exchanged smiles, almost doubtful that their next guess of what he was about to do was wrong. 

( _One universe, nine planets, two-hundred-and-four countries, eight-hundred-and-nine islands, seven seas, and I had the privilege of meeting you)_

"Never leave me again," the words were a soft, broken exchange, breathless as they left Fuyuhiko's lips before he smashed his to hers, sliding a hand into a hair and the other cupping her cheek.

_(I find pieces of you in every song I listen to)_

Automatically, Peko tried to flinch away, but leaned into the warmth of his hand.

_(If I could give you one thing in life, I would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes. Only then would you see how much you mean to me)_

They were always there for one another. 

_(Seven billions smiles, and yours is my favorite)_

The kiss lasted for several seconds, only when Peko had pulled away, giving the Ultimate Yakuza that smile that made his heart go wild, rattle against his ribcage, and light on fire.

_(I wonder what goes on in your mind when you hear my name, because I smile and my heart does a little jump)_

"Never," she breathed.

_(I choose you. And I'll choose you, over and over, and over. Without a pause, without a doubt, in a heartbeat. I'll keep choosing you)_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yay crappy ending I'm starving for food


	11. Leon Kuwata X Fem!Reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Among a night of darkness, [Name] and Leon are out on a walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was something that was two-or-three sentences unfinished when I found it, so... that's why this one came out so quickly. So enjoy a quick School-Days oneshot with a Baseball Star.

In the frigid air of the city, a male rested on a wood bench. Despite the thin pants he was wearing, he sat against the cold surface. 

"Leon!"

The redhead looked up, then cursed under his breath as the action caused his scarf to fall away. "D-Dammit.." he stuttered out, breath coming out in billowing clouds as he tucked the scarf back into place.

"It's cold, isn't it?" The girl said brightly. Leon eyed her- she was wearing a white sweatshirt over a grey T-shirt with thin cotton pants. Unlike her, he was dressed in about four layers of clothing. 

"I'm fr-frozen," he grumbled, curling into himself. "[N-Name], how do you-"

"I was born and raised in the cold. I never really minded it though."

[Name] extended a hand, linking it with Leon's, which where clad in black gloves. 

He rubbed at his thigh before standing (or, stumbling, in his case- it's not like sneakers were the best for keeping your feet from becoming numb) up. "Ho-How was I supposed to know it was gonna snow or be c-cold, for th-that matter...?"

"You weren't. Weather forecasters suck," she told him, her grip tightening on his hand. 

Leon grinned, and she could see it- it was wide enough that the fabric of his (or hers, he had borrowed it) scarf couldn't hide it. "Very funny."

With that, he glanced down at their intertwined hands. [Name] had done actions like this before- hugging him, hugging him without warning (glomping, she called it- which caused Leon to spill taco meat everywhere at the time), ruffling his hair- the list could go on. Holding hands were just on the top. 

"What'd you get in there?"

She glanced at the bag she held loosely in her fingers, absently swinging it about. "Oh. Photo album for Mahiru, Monokuma pillow for Junko and a jumbo-size bag of gummies for Hiyoko. New-years. Junko was happy when I purposely told her I hadn't got her a present yet while I got one for Mukuro."

"Again with the despair thing?"

She nodded, a smile tugging at her bloodied (and bitten, mind you...she wasn't cut there) lips. "Yeah. She thought is was despairingly funny, according to her." She scoffed. "What an idiot. Mahiru and Hiyoko were on a trip together during Christmas."

Leon lifted his shoulders in that careless but charming shrug of his. He had stopped shivering ever since [Name] came- while her hands were most likely cold, she kinda had this warm, giddy feeling whenever talking about the others who were in Hope's Peak. 

"I personally find it kinda amusing," he said, eyes brightening. "And I see a bar of chocolate."

Tilting back her head and giving him an eye-roll, [Name] laughed. "You got me~," she giggled before pulling out four bars of chocolate- two dark, two milk. "Two for each of us."

The redhead plucked a dark chocolate bar out of her hands, tearing the seal open and biting into it. In seconds, his shoulders slumped as he let out a content hum. "Awesome."

"Leon," the [hair-colored]-haired girl mumbled around her chocolate. "Look up."

He obliged. There, floating from the heavens, small snowflakes descended down. He stuck out his mouth, catching several on it. In the clear darkness of the sky, the two could see the small speckles in the distance. 

"Isn't it beautiful? The snow I usually seen falls when I'm asleep or during the daytime."

Looking over at her, Leon grinned widely. He pulled his hand out of [Name]'s grip, tugged off a black glove before catching a snowflake. He brought it back to his eye-level to watch it melt on his frigid fingertips. 

"Yeah."

 


	12. Blade's Animal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (I dont know but I'll think of this later) Peko X Furry! Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was an idea I found in my drafts, so... yeah. Furry! Fuyuhiko, enjoy. As for the anon who requested the Leon & Sakura thing, I'm working on it, but I'll be gone on the weekend, so we'll see when I finish it.

Ever since 2021, where the last furry race of the mountain lion was captured and slaughtered, we have lived in a world of only humans, animals, and bugs.

Witches and wizards were killed. Mermaids were hunted to extinction for their scales. Dragon teeth were sold for a high price.

It's all because of the fact humans wanted to be at the top of the world.

I paused from where I was doodling a mermaid, looking up at the clatter of glass.

"E-E-Eek! I-I-I-I'm s-s-s-s-sorry, p-p-p-please f-forgive m-me! I'll d-do an-an-"

"It's a glass, Mikan," I said, returning to my drawing. I knew it was her, because it was highly unlikely that my other companion would freak out like that.

Mikan Tsumiki had confidence issues. She had been bullied, abused, and set on fire under the suspicion of being a witch. Even now, several years after she was burnt, the burn marks had never faded from her forearms, feet, and collarbone.

She had come to me in fondness of the way I held myself, and my own confidence. But by bit, I hoped that she would go back to being the loving, caring child she used to be, not the insecure girl who was in my household right now.

"B-B-"

"Mikan, as Peko said, it's just a glass. she has plenty others," the other voice was more smooth as she coaxed Mikan.

Sonia was a runaway princess, sent to this town by her mother and father as their kingdom was attacked.

Setting my drawing book aside, I brushed off my leggings and stood, striding to the kitchen where the two stood.

"... And what exactly were you doing?"

On my right, Sonia turned and looked sheepish, a plate held in her hand as bubbles slid down the white surface. In her other hand, she held a sponge.

"Cleaning," she said. "I have never experienced it before by hand, and-"

"We have a dishwasher," I told my friend, inclining my head towards the dishwasher just to the right of my sink.

"I know! But I just wanted to do it."

Without another word, she turned back to the sink, scrubbing viciously as she bit her lip. A strand of her ginger hair (which had originally been a pale blonde, but she had to dye it to hide her identity) fell into her face, but she made no indication to move it as she started to hum.

Mikan was on the floor, shattered glass scattered around her. The tips of her two index fingers were slit, oozing several droplets of blood as she attempted to clean up the bits.

"Mikan, go tend yourself quickly," I commanded. With a yelp, my friend scrambled to her feet and disappeared into the bathroom. Several moments afterward, I could hear the sound of running water.

Kneeling, I swept up the glass, taking great care around the jagged edges. "Sonia, can you get me the broom?"

"Absolutely!"

I winced at the noises of messy rummaging that followed. It was expected- she didn't know the wall my household was organized.

However, she appeared in the doorway moments later, holding a broom and a dust-pan.

"Thank you," I said, taking it from her hands, and proceeded to wipe the broom across the floor into the dust-pan.

"A-A-Ah, P-P-Peko, I-I-I-I g-got a t-t-trash bag..."

"Thank you," I repeated the phrase again as Mikan stumbled over to me, and I hoped to all the gods in heaven that she wouldn't trip and land face-first into the shards of glass.

"Need any help?" Sonia asked from her spot in the doorway. I glanced at Mikan's bandaged fingers, shook my head no, and shook the rest of the glass into the trash bag.

"I'll just get this to the dumpster," I stated. "Might as well take the rest of the trash as well."

"I will get it!" The princess announced, disappearing in an instant.

Mikan stood from where she was kneeling, wiping off her skirt with trembling hands. "I-I-I-If needed, I-I-I c-can g-go," she offered.

"No, it's fine."

Soon, Sonia returned with a black bag in her hands, a radiant smile on her face as she tied it and held it out to me.

Thanking her again, I slung the one full of trash over my shoulder, only barely wrinkling my nose at the pungent smell, and made sure that the glass-filled one wouldn't open while I was walking. I also slid a pocket-knife into my waistband, just in case for any... unwanted encounters.

The dumpster through the forest. I lived in the beach house that was right next to the said forest, and beyond it, was the city.

I was aware that I lived a very anti-social life. Many people didn't approach me, for my stiff aura and red eyes almost always scared them off. Sonia lived in the beach house next to mine, as it would probably be the safest place for now, but Mikan lived in the city with my other... acquaintances.

The worn route was a path I took a lot. It wasn't paved, but a winding path of gravel, grass, and dirt that led deep into the forest.

Immediately, my shoulders relaxed as the air took on the forest-like smell, and the ground softened underneath my feet. Every few moments, birds chirped and I would catch glimpse of a squirrel or rabbit.

The thought of a fluffy animal brought a thin smile to my face, but I kept walking, focused on getting out as soon as possible so Sonia wouldn't 'accidentally' mess up my house because she had dropped a fork, and Mikan had kicked it who-knows-where.

After I had dropped down both bags, I started to head back. The sun had set over the horizon only moments before, and now the sky was streaked with hues of blue, orange, pink, yellow, and red.

Several wing flaps. An owl flew by overhead, and the rustle of grass behind me told me that it was probably an animal.

There was a crack, and I had bolted backwards, taking large leaps to avoid the thick branch that thudded against the ground with a solid noise.

 _A branch that thick shouldn't fall on its' own,_ I thought, glancing up at the tree it assumedly came from.

Claw marks were near one edge of the branch, which was the side that looked like it connected to the tree.

_This seems too broad for a cat to claw through._

It was then when I was finally aware of the burning between my shoulder blades, as if there were eyes drilling into my back.

Taking a slow step backwards, and twisting, I stared straight into the gap between the trees.

A pair of golden brown eyes, almost a mix between a light hazel and tan, peered back at me. They were narrowed to slits, hovering at about a meter and a half above the ground.

"I demand you to reveal yourself right now," I commanded, my hand drifting to my waist. The cold blade pressed against my skin, as if to remind me that it was still there, waiting to be pulled from its' hiding spot.

The eyes blinked, then disappeared in a flash.

The blade whipped from its' spot as a blonde blur hurled out of the darkness. Claws hissed as they strained against my arms, one curled tight around the pocketknife and the other struggling to dig into my arms.

The same eyes that had pierced me in the trees stared straight into mine, scrunched up and squinting.

The weight on my blade was lifted. An arc of pain flashed across the skin of my leg.

My teeth sunk into my lower lip as I held back a hiss of pain. The animal had gone back to their original position, attempting to push me back.

In an instant, the memories of my young age flashed back to me as I learned, practiced, and improved at kendo.

_The blade is just an extension of your body. It is an extension of you limb, honed to the point of tearing open skin if used properly._

I gave away to their weight, and shifted my own to my back foot. They moved with me, but it was more unexpected for them.

Drawing back, I slammed my foot into the back of where the kneecap would be.

Like a human body, they crumbled to the floor. I poised the knife above their head.

"All right, what the hell are you going to do now?"

At the words, I flipped the knife, as if to slide it into my sleeve.

The being in front of me was somehow human...but not.

It was surely the one I saw in the trees. Their- his- eyes were the same color, but most of the feral look had faded.

A tan tail rose up from behind him, twitching every few moments. Nails the color of wet firewood, jagged and about as long as those fake nails girls were these days.

The same shade as his tail, ears were set on either side of his head, with a rim of white.

His hands were a shape between human hands and cat paws, rounded and had messily-groomed fur on the back of it, trailing up his forearms.

He was dressed in a simple, ragged white shirt, with a pair of white pants.

"You're.... a furry..."

His features formed into a scowl- at least what I thought was a scowl, whiskers quivering.

Yet, the furry still didn't say anything, settling into a crouch, most of his weight on his front paws. The form was of one getting ready to pounce as he watched me with careful, sharp eyes.

As I switched the knife back into attack mode, the furry studied me. I had heard him speak once- he had a voice that reminded me of Zuko from _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ , albeit a little more high-pitched.

"I thought they went extinct..."

"Clearly not, dumbass," he spat.

I was seventeen when they had 'hunted' the last furry and killed her, driving a stake through her heart. Now, four years later, I was standing in front of one.

"... you're not the only one," I guessed. "Probably a family... three? No, there's four of you altogether, I suspect..."

Most furries did live in groups of three or four. Guessing by his speed and the little scar marks on his skin and fur, he got into fights a lot, which was made possible by a sibling.

The little tan blur dug his fingernails into my wrist, which I had swiftly brought up the instant he had moved his foot.

Several droplets of blood dribbled over my skin, marking the pale spot with a red streak before it slid down and fell.

"How- the fuck- did you- know that?"

His voice came from just below my ear, hissed.

"Intuition," I replied, without a tremble of quiver coursing through my body. Yes, I could die. Yes, he could probably maul me and eat me for dinner. Yes, I could be careless, slip, and accidentally stab myself in the gut.

The last thought made me pause, glancing at the sleek blade that I held in front of me, hilt towards the furry, the blade pointed in the direction of my torso. _I really could accidentally stab myself._

He was still straining against me, pushing with all his might in attempt to get the upper hand.

 _Vicious_ , I noted. _Impatient to get a fight over with, quick and done._

My movement was too fast for him to register- either that, or my foot had been out of his eyesight, it was one of those two. I had drawn back, much like I did the first time, hooked my foot around his furry ankle, and jerked my knee upwards.

As expected, the tan-furred creature lurched with me, limbs sprawling before he landed on the ground with a short ' _mrow!_ '.

"Your balance is off. Quick to fight, and rush into a battle," I listed the flaws off tactlessly. "Your stance is weak, and your hands are poised to claw your opponents arms, not their face, and you're leaving your chest wide open."

As if to prove a point, I stepped on his upper forearm, and he stopped immediately, glaring up at me with a hateful look.

Leaning over, I poked him in the chest with the knife. "Fatal injures, furry. Fatal injuries."

"Finish me off, then," he snarled.

I shook my head, then stepped off his arm. "I'm not heartless."

"You sure look like it," the furry grumbled, sitting up and rubbing at the spot that I had stood on.

"Pardon me?" I asked, cocking my head."

"You sure look heartless," he replied, with a knowing smirk.

"If you're trying to get a rise out of me, it's not going to work," I stated, and his golden-brown eyes stared at me, as if attempting to pierce my soul.

He only grunted in reply, showing no more signs of lunging again. Sitting hunched over, the furry almost looked like a hairy human child with bad posture.

"Aren't you going to kill me?"

"What?" I blinked at him several times. "Of course not, why would I?"

"..." Brow furrowed, he studied me. "Aren't all humans against supernatural creatures because... they want to be at the top or some shit like that?"

"That's what we call stereotypical. Not everyone is like that."

"... Stereo...typical?" He echoed.

Nodding, I turned my back to him and started walking away.

"I bid your farewell. I'm going to pretend like I never met you," I said, only tilting my face so that he saw my profile.

Silence. Only staring at me, his lip curled in what I assumed was distaste.

It was hard to tear my gaze from the supernatural creature- he was a wonder, and truly beautiful (and fluffy- probably- but that's not the point).

There was no signs of movement as I walked away, my head held high as if there was merely a pathway behind me, nothing else.

A hand fell upon on my shoulder, and I whipped around on instinct, the pocket-knife flashing and hissing through the air.

Then froze.

Blood- on the knife, from his eye, splattered over both his fur and my clothing.

The furry had gone for my shoulder, it seemed. His hand was mid-air, outstretched for my shoulder.

His eye.

A wicked, vertical, bloody line drew upwards, cutting across his eye. In shock, his pupils had shrunk.

Time sped up again as he went down on one knee, a hand pressed against the injury, staring at me.

"W... Wh... What... the f...fu..."

The flow was strong, that was for sure. The blood had collected in the creases of his shirt, completely and throughly staining the entire front.

Untying my red ribbon on the front of my shirt, I knelt, twisting the material into a ball.

A hiss followed, clearly restraining a shriek of pain. Through slitted eyes, he glared, raising a dirt-caked hand as if to protect himself with his nails.

"I'm going to help you."

"Y-Y-You'll... probably... kgh... ma-make it... worse..."

"I'm at least slightly trained in first aid," I said cooly, pushing his wrist aside. "Let me see."

As composed as I was on the outside, my heart rattled against my ribcage. It quivered like a sopping-wet, young bird in the rain.

_Was I about to be at fault for the death of what might be the last furry in existence?_

As I pressed the cloth to his bleeding eye, I was slightly sickened at how quickly it dampened with blood.

Automatically, his fingers curled around my wrist in a pain-response, nails digging deep into my skin. 

"... Mikan would know how to fully treat this," I murmured, debating if to get him back to my house. Granted, if anyone related to the government found out, he'd be killed in front of the public, and I'd be killed- but in the best case scenario, imprisoned. 

I made my choice. 

"Come on," I mumbled half-hearted, pushing against his shoulder. "Lay down."

The furry pushed against my hand, shaking his head weakly. 

"You're going to pass out soon. Let me help you." 

In response, he pushed against my leg with one foot. 

The blood seeping through the cloth started to stain my hand, which I took as a sign that it was still bleeding. Now a steady stream had trailed down his collarbone and onto the ground.

I didn't know how much blood furries had in their body, but human bodies only had ten to twelve pints. 

At one point, his eyes rolled back and eased shut. Cold rooted itself in my veins, and, hooking my arms under his legs, picking up the furry, turned towards the direction of my house. 

As I slid from the safety of the forest, my feet sinking deep into the sand as I emerged out onto the beach, I spared a glance at Sonia's beach house next to mine. 

The lights were switched off, as expected, except for one- the one positioned just above her door. The light shed on the back of a black trench-coat. 

As I neared closer, careful not to jostle the bleeding furry in my arms, I spotted a purple scarf, trailing in the wind. Any sudden movement might cause excess blood, and that would not be good.

The instant I saw the bandaged hand resting on the rail, I called the man's name. "Gundam!" 

He reacted to the name, turning his head slowly. A sharp nose, a pale face, a scar cutting through his left brow and eye all combined together for the appearance of Gundam Tanaka.

He was a rather famous animal-breeder, but the only way I got to know him is through Sonia. 

"Stoic One?" He asked through the darkness, now turning his entire body to face me. "Is there something you have that will benefit my presence?" 

"The question is why are you waiting in front of Sonia's beach house?" I inquired, to which Gundam didn't reply, instead leaning on the railing as if to get a better look at me. "But, no, I have something more... life-changing."

It felt wrong to refer to the furry in my arms as 'life-changing', but it really was. He really was an animal-lover, and, as steely as his image was, wept when he was dragged into the square and watched the furry impaled. 

Considering I was still in darkness, there was little doubt that the only thing Gundam saw was a huddled thing in my arms. But as he stepped down the staircase to Sonia's beach house, and I instead came into the light, I saw the shock flash across his features. 

"You're an animal-breeder," I said to him. "I... found him with an eye-injury in the forest. Do you, perhaps, know how to treat this?" 

He was silent for a moment, then reached out, brushing his long fingers against the fur of the male, as if to assure himself that he was real. It was several moments before Gundam snapped out of his gaze, shaking his head side to side. 

"Yes. Do you think we may use your house for the ceremony to seal this wound? And do you happen to have the medicine granted to us by the blood of the dark gods?"

"I do have medicine, yes, and we can use my house, but Sonia and Mikan are in there."

He paused, stopping mid-stride. "We can trust the former, but the latter..."

"Mikan wouldn't give this away." 

"Very well. Let us tend to this being." 

 

 


	13. More Then What You Let On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In School Mode, Leon opened up to Makoto, and Makoto only about his cooped-up feelings. He's close to cracking again, but this time, it's Sakura by his side, not the Ultimate Lucky Student.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An anon requested this. *waves awkwardly*

_Day thirty-nine_ , Leon thought with a sigh, running a quick hand through his mane of red hair. _Or something along those lines._

Along with fifteen other students, Leon Kuwata was trapped inside Hope's Peak Academy, basically focused to be a slave and create 'back-ups' for a stuffed bear.

"Yo, Kuwata," Mondo Oowada grunted, combing through the boxes in the Rec Room. "Something's botherin' ya."

"Nah, it's really nothing," Leon shrugged it off. "Just the fact we have to create these stupid things."

Stopping in his tracks, the other male only looked at him before setting down the box he had just picked up. "Tell ya what," he huffed. "Why don't you head back to your room or somethin'? I got this."

In his surprise, Leon turned to look at him. The Ultimate Bike-Rider had turned his back, but the tension in his shoulders and form was evident. 

It wasn't long before he broke out in a large grin, something that came to him rather easily despite the storm raging inside his mind.

"Thanks, man!"

The Ultimate Baseball-Star took off running, and the younger Oowada brother let out a sigh. "What type of fuckin' work did I get myself into?" 

-

Despite what Mondo had thought, Leon had _not_ gone to his room. He had scaled the five flights of stairs without a problem, instead heading to the Music Room. 

"Kuwata-kun?" Sakura Oogami asked, disbelief on her face as he appeared at the top of the stairs. "Wasn't he assigned with Oowada-kun in the Rec Room?"

Her partner, Aoi Asahina, lifted her shoulders in a shrug, cocking her head as she stared across the hall at the incoming Ultimate.

"Oh, hey, Hina, Sakura!" Leone greeted as he slowed down.

Sakura only raised an eyebrow at the sudden first-name basis, but she didn't comment on it, instead focusing at the task at hand and shifting the box of materials she held. It was only then where she nodded in greeting.

"Hi, Leon!" Aoi grinned widely. "What'cha doing up here?"

"Oh, just going to the music room, that's all." 

"What happened to Oowada-kun?"

Leon shrugged. "Said I could leave. So I did. It's like a school day, you know? So when a teacher offers me the chance to leave, I do."

"B-"

Finding no reason to further ask for answer, Sakura gave Aoi a look. "There's no reason asking him. Let's go, Hina. Allow him to go to the music room."

 "Okay! Bye, Leon!" Aoi chirped. 

Even before Aoi spoke, when the two girls had shifted to the side to allow him through, he had bolted down the hallway, and all the two could see was the door swinging shut. 

"... he seemed tense," Sakura commented. "He left very quickly. Did something seem off to you?"

"I'm sure it's fine! Leon has a very quick-thinking mind, so it's only natural that his body is just has to follow up on it, just as quickly."

"That is, if any thought filters through his mind," Sakura sighed. "Now, Kirigiri-san is waiting for us to deliver these materials, as soon as possible. Shall we go?" 

Aoi nodded, a bounce to her step as she danced down the staircase. Sakura stared worryingly after her until the Ultimate Swimmer reached the bottom of the flight of stairs, before glancing one last time over her shoulder towards the music room.

Now almost used to the amount of time it took to get from the top floor to the bottom, Sakura and Aoi found themselves in the gym in no time. In the center, Makoto Naegi was fiddling... with who-knows-what, while Kyouko Kirigiri looked a bit more sophisticated as she delicately placed a screw into a contraption.

"Hello, Oogami-san, Asahina-san," the latter greeted, without looking up. "Do you have the materials?"

"Yes." Sakura set down her box next to the Ultimate Detective. Aoi mirrored the action, stepping back. 

"Oowada-san," Kyouko addressed the Ultimate who was leaning against the wall. "Can you bring me the toolkit?"

"Sure..." 

"Oowada-kun," Sakura asked. He gave no indication that he had heard beside the slight tilt of his head as he picked up the toolkit. "Were you with Kuwata-kun up till now?"

Mondo gave a slow blink, scratching at his neck. "Eh... couple 'f minutes before I finished, yeah..." 

"And where did he say he was going?"

He squinted at her. "Dorm room, probably...?" 

"Thank you," Sakura said, then turned her back on him.

"Oogami-san, can you, perhaps, get Kuwata-san?"

"Yes,"  She started for the door, leaving silence in her wake. Aoi was about to go after her, but the Ultimate Martial Arts Fighter held up a hand, stopping her. "I can get Kuwata-kun myself, Hina. It is a mere task." 

Aoi looked like she was about to object, but she kept quiet as Sakura left. 

The music was heard when she reached the third floor. 

Stopping for a moment, Sakura cocked her head to the side, listening with apt attention. The notes were faint, but they interlocked with one another, as if they were the links on a chain.

After several minutes as she absorbed the noise of the music, she stepped up another two flights of stairs, and soon found herself standing in front of the Music Room, hand on the handle. 

As she expected, the music had only gotten louder as she got nearer to the music room. Now, as she stood before the door, there was little to no doubt it came from there.

Very lightly, with a touch that was softer then a pillow, she nudged the handle down and opened the door. 

Hunched over the piano was the Ultimate only known as Leon Kuwata, a hand dancing across the piano. The other hand, his left one, was pressed against his thigh. 

His hair, usually vivid and bright, was dull, lifeless, as if sapped of it's energy.

It seemed that he didn't hear her coming in. Calmly, Sakura took a few steps, studying the way his fingers flew across the keys, but kept quiet. 

Then, it just... stopped.

The notes became a dead silence, and Leon froze over the piano, his hand still in the air, about to press down on the keys. 

Then he allowed his right hand to fall flat. 

"... I'm not made for music. The notes don't link, I'm not really playing..." He sighed. "I feel like a cornered mouse in here, unable to play... It's just... I thought since we have a piano and all..."

It was clear he didn't notice that she was there. His eyes wandered aimlessly across the walls in front of him.

"I wanted to become a musician to impress her. But along with that girl at the shop, I wanna impress Maizono-chan..."

Sakura swore she saw him swoon, even a little bit.

"I told Makoto a few weeks back that I wanted to play baseball... and still do. It feels like ages since I last played, although it was only two days before I joined this stupid Academy..." 

Which was... little over forty days ago. 

"I thought I hated baseball. Hated practice, always skipped out on it... came to the games a little later, although we always crushed the opponent." 

He rolled his shoulders, then flicked his wrist at the instrument before him. "This isn't for me... man, I need to get out and play, throw some curve balls, 'accidentally' hit those assholes on the other team...!

"But... I can't just give up music yet, right? I love Punk Rock... and I want to become the Ultra Musician..."

"So much you want to give up your title as the Ultimate Baseball All-Star?"

Whipping around, Leon let out a unmanly yelp at the sight of Sakura. "Sakura...!"

"Answer my question, Leon Kuwata." 

His entire body stiffened. "N-No...!" He denied. "I mean, yes! I'm willing to give up my title... as the Ultimate Baseball..."

His voice gave out a bit at the end, weakening at the sight of Sakura's intensity, the intensity of her stare and her eyes. _Girls... don't usually.. act like... this...!_

  Leon held up his hands in surrender. "Look, I don't, okay?"

The Ultimate Fighter didn't reply, just raising an eyebrow and cocking her head to the side, as if to further analyze him. 

"Pardon me if I'm wrong, but... I don't think that's the case."

"Since when did you know what my heart says?" Leon challenged, a defiant edge to his tone. 

"I don't. I'm assuming, although I shouldn't. I apologize if I've bothered you." 

Silent footsteps moved swiftly across the ground as she turned her back on him, taking her time in reaching the door.

"Sakura... can I ask you a question?"

At her first name, Sakura looked over her shoulder at him. 

"Do you play?"

"... play?"

"Yeah. Piano." The Ultimate Baseball All-Star vaguely gestured at the piano in front of him. "Do you play piano?"

"No.."

"Come on, let me teach you!" He waved her over. Hesitant to go, as Kyouko's command rung in her mind, Sakura shuffled (very unlike her) over to the piano.

"See, you just... play the keys all together until you find a beat!"  

"That's... it? It's that simple?"

Leon laughed; he had never expected Sakura to ask something like that. But something along the lines of curiosity flickered in her eyes, and he was glad to subdue that. 

"They make it so dramatic on TV and all, but yeah- that's it!" 

It was a mistake to look at his eyes. Bright blue, shining, just like Aoi's. They seemed to burst with excitement, so much compared to the dullness of them earlier, and the shifty gleam in them when he denied that he didn't want to give up his title. 

Leon almost seemed to be right- as her fingers pressed down on the keys, the pitches and the notes almost seemed clear to Sakura. It was as clear as the water that came from the kitchen sink, rushing through her ears and billowing over her heart. 

And as Sakura played, with two hands rather then Leon's one-handed style, she swore she heard him say: "Yes, I miss baseball. Thanks, Sakura Oogami."

She hid her smile. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good grief, this has been up a little over a month, and has 1100 hits... *sweatdrops* I can't explain this feeling of gratitude for you guys reading this...
> 
> Wow, that was cheesy.  
> Anyways, sorry anon if this wasn't what you expected ^-^


	14. Among Those of Steel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being captured by the Warriors of Hope, Byakuya Togami spends his time in what could be considered a prison. His thoughts are plagued by something that doesn't even exist anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celesgami someone requested. Hai.

The scrap of metal against metal caused me to lift my head.

"Here you go, demon."

I saw a flash of blue before their footsteps faded away, but stubbornly remained where I was sitting, my eyes instead trained on the wall, not the food. 

Today was day three. 

Three days since I had given Komaru Naegi the Hacking Gun, three days since I was overrun by Monokumas, three days since I was put into this cell. 

Releasing a sigh, I leaned my head back, trying to ignore the cramp in my neck. 

A sharp jab in my neck caused me to jerk forward, and I glanced behind me, locating the screw jutting out of the wall immediately. The pain that flickered across my nerves reminded me of her nails. 

The pale walls didn't help- she herself was pale, as was her lipstick, which was the same color of the wall.

_"Ah, Togami-kun."_

_"What are you doing here, Ludenberg?"_

_Celestia Ludenberg smiled coyly, tucking the small slip of paper away into the folds of her dress and brought a hand to her lips. "My, are you really that interested in my actions?"_

_"You actions are a lie," I said, cold creeping into my tone. "Just like your words are."_

_She cocked an eyebrow, lips curving into something resembling a smile. "Is there anything I said to offend you, then?"_

_"No."_

_"Then I don't understand why you are picking an argument with me."_

_I took my time in walking up to Celestia, and looking down at her. I was just above six foot, so it was normal that I mostly looked down to look people in the eye, but Celestia was shorter then most, her drills barely reached the top of my nose._

_"I asked you a simple question. What are you doing here?"_

_"If I said I was researching the mastermind behind this game, would you believe me?"_

_It was the first time she had called it a game. Most of the time she called it a test of survival._

_Meeting her red eyes evenly, I responded. "No. The dust on the desk I saw you sitting at earlier is undisturbed. Had you had a book with you, it would probably have marks from where the book cleared the dust."_

_"Hm, interesting ,it seems you can see through my lie. But I was enjoying the silence before morning, before Ishimaru-kun woke up and went knocking from each door to the next."_

_I frowned at the thought. I did not like waking up earlier, but both Monokuma's announcement and the said Ultimate Hall monitor's knocking roused me from my sleep._

_"I still don't believe you. What was that slip of paper from earlier?"_

_Celestia blinked her eyes prettily. Every movement was one of grace, even the slightest tilt of her head._

_"I believe your talent was the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, not the Ultimate Detective."_

_I was unprepared for when her nails brushed against my eyelashes. I resisted the urge to jump back, but Celestia only smiled._

_"Your eyes are very inquisitive, Togami-kun."_

_I said nothing, just staring at her._

_"If you're trying to flirt with me to get my mind off of what you're doing, it's not working."_

_"Oh? I've always been proud of my ability to flirt."_

_"You shouldn't," I replied bluntly. "Why are you?"_

_"Well, because..."_

_A shudder ran down my back as Celestia straightened up, on her tippy-toes, and carefully tilted my head down._

_Now, our noses were almost brushing, and her ruby-red eyes were less then centimeters from mine._

_"Because I'm okay with doing this," she whispered at last, and I was about to push her away when her lips brushed mine._

_I hadn't ever kissed anyone before- the moment was fleeting, yet slow._

_"..."_

_"Your first, I assume?" Celestia tapped my nose, and I realized that my hand was cupped over her shoulder. I quickly dropped it down to my side, a scowl claiming my features as I stared at her, moving backwards._

_Silence still painted my mouth, but I settled for a heavy glare, which she paid no attention to. Just like that, she turned on her heel and disappeared out the door._

_"Good night, Togami-kun."_

Celestia Ludenberg. 

The Ultimate Gambler, whose's foolish slip-up cost her, her life. 

What a imbecile.

Nonetheless, I felt the smile on my lips. 


	15. Can Your Pet?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hajime manages to drag Gundam over to his house, claiming that he has a 'special' game for Gundam.

"Now that you've gotten me into your realm, what do you intend to do now?" 

"Like I told you before," Hajime Hinata said, plopping down at his bed and opening his computer. "I have something I want you to play."

"Play?" Gundam Tanaka echoed, shuffling closer to his bed. "What do you mean?" 

Giving a nod in return, Hajime spun the computer around so that the screen faced Gundam. 

"Can your pet!" 

"Can... your pet?" The other male said blankly. His eyes zeroed in on the yellow blob with eyes on the screen. "So, it is a breeding game? Alas, Hinata, you tried to beat me in a... so-called game that specializes in my talent? You have courage, more courage then what I have seen before me in centuries!" 

"Oh, no, I'm not facing you in it," the brown-haired boy hurried to explain, but the corners of his mouth twitched up in a smile. "I just want you to play it."

Gundam eyed him, taking in the little smirk Hajime was wearing, although it could be mistaken for a smile. 

"Very well," he said at last. "I will... participate in your little... game." 

The Ultimate Animal Breeder took a seat at the edge of the bed, as if to fly off at the slightest of movement. Carefully passing the computer over to him, Hajime pointed at the touchpad at the bottom of the keyboard then at the START. 

"Ah, I shall behold you the honor of granting this creature a name, since you have allowed a pathway for me to use this..."

"How about Sonia?" Hajime suggested, and took note of the way Gundam's eyes flicked away from the screen to focus at a spot on the floor, then back to the screen. His scarf was pulled down, so the reserve course student could see hints of a blush on the boy's cheeks. 

"Very well, Sonia it is. A powerful name." 

Instantly, a small yet genuine smile settled across his face, kept minimal so it wouldn't pull down his 'image' at the sight of the yellow animal. 'Sonia' waddled around, blinking as the cursor hovered over the little ribbon. 

"Come on, click it," Hajime encouraged, and the other person on the bed tapped the touchpad. The little box popped up, and Gundam peered at the options, then let out a hearty laugh.

"Kehehe! So they believe the power of this beast may be restrained by these little objects..." 

After a small moment of deciding, he chose to pick the option with the red bow, then kept the eyes the same.

"You should've picked the anime-eye option," Hajime commented. "Sonia would like that. The bow reminds me of Sonia Nevermind, too..."

The Ultimate Animal Breeder didn't reply, and just hunched more over the keyboard. "I also believe they suit a.. tie."

"A tie? Really?" Fiddling with his own, the reserve course student chuckled. "All right, you make the choices. Keep going." 

"And a scar, to tell of their dark fight for freedom to wander this world."

"Wow, okay. Deep, Gundam. Deep." 

Again, Gundam settled into his own little world as he dragged the food package to the animal, his eyes softening in the slightest as the small dance the creature did after the feeding. 

"You see those bars over there? That red one's the food, so you have to fill that up, so I think they'll starve-"

"I shall not let hunger devour this creature!"

"Hn. And the blue bar is the cleanliness bar, which you fill up with the little shower thing down there." 

As Gundam allowed water to drip down on 'Sonia', who actually seemed quite happy with it and kept walking towards it, another option lit up on the bottom menu, this one with a soccer ball and a weight.

"I... think that's exercise, I'm not sure." 

A soccer ball appeared over Sonia's head, and the yellow animal bopped it, which sent the ball curving like a rainbow and disappeared into the ground. 

After several more exchanging of the soccer ball, the Ultimate Animal Breeder noticed the bicycle. 

At the sight of the curiosity in his eyes, Hajime smiled deviously, but quickly smothered it in case Gundam saw it in the reflection of the screen. "So... I think we might have to go on the bicycle to get the video game console?" 

In the middle of a game of 'bonk the soccer ball', Gundam looked up at him, allowing the soccer ball to fall to the ground. "Perhaps that is what the creators wished for us to do," he mused. "They left the fifth option burdened to transparency, so I, Gundam Tanaka, will take a risk and go on the accursed mortal creation called a bicycle!" 

Hajime hid a snicker behind his hand, and pretended it was a cough. One of Gundam's hamsters, San-D, poked his nose of the scarf, whiskers twitching as he sniffed the air, pawed his way out of the said purple scarf, and made his way down Gundam's arm to poke at the screen.

"Ah, it seems one of the powerful warriors agrees!" The Ultimate Animal-Breeder exclaimed, then clicked the bicycle. 

The floor beneath Sonia disappeared, making the yellow creature fall off the screen. Suddenly, the same image of the bicycle appeared on screen, larger then when the two first saw it, and flipped upside down before the circles became blades.

Hajime started laughing as the sounds of blades cutting through air came from the computer, and blood started to paint the screen as Sonia was sucked down and sliced repeatedly.

Gundam's shriek of surprise cut through the air. 

"That's... supposed.. to happen...!" Hajime gasped between pants of air. "It's okay... Gundam...!" 

His companion didn't seem to be taking his words to heart. Fingers twitching as he placed them over his mouth, staring at the screen with surprised eyes as the pieces of Sonia floated through the black abyss while the credits played. 

All the pieces floating into a can and the metal was stamped over it, with a small label of 'Sonia'. 

_"... What kind of dark magic is this?!"_

_"_ It's a game, Gundam, you'll be fine..." Hajime said, having finally recovered from his laughing fit. They were taken back to the menu screen, where yellow had been replaced with a gray head covered in blood. "Oh, I didn't know that happened..." 

Gundam blinked once. Twice. A third time. 

Then slammed the computer shut, got up, and left the room.

"Gundam! I said, it's just a game! I didn't mean to upset you! Sorry!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was inspired by Dan and Phil's "Can Your Pet?" video. And I was really tired when I wrote this.


	16. Fairness of Justice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is there really a justice where no one gets hurt?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akaneko, spoilers for Chapter 4~ Also, this is my first real time writing Nekomaru as one of the main characters in a one-shot.

When Akane had first saw Nekomaru's body, rage had consumed her. Rage and disbelief. Rage at this person, this _killer_ , who had murdered her coach, and disbelief at the fact that someone _actually_ managed to kill him. 

She had sworn she would find his killer, and avenge him, maybe beat them to death, but when she saw the tears running down Sonia's face, Akane had cast a glance at the floor, choosing to ignore Gundam.

Now, Sonia's screams, shrieks of begging and pleading as the murderer of the fourth murder case flew across the field, smacking into the ground with a shattering crunch of his skull rang clearly for everyone to hear.

_Would I be the same, if it had been Gundam as the victim, and Nekomaru as the killer?_

The stampede circled back around, as if Monokuma was debating running over Gundam's crumpled body. In the end, he decided against it, instead allowing his hamsters to crawl up beside their owner. 

Just like that, it was all over, and Gundam was the second person who died that night.

Akane curled up against the sheets of her bed, not even bothering to toss the light fabric over her. 

_I could have prevented both of their deaths._

A shudder passed through her.

_I could've...! If I really paid attention to the damn loud noise, I could've.... I could've..._

"I could've prevented it...!"

Her eyes, formerly closed, flashed open, pools of dark brown swirling in the darkness, full of confused feelings and grief. Without another word, Akane straightened up, kicked her legs over the side of the bed, and got up.

"I could've prevented it..." She muttered under her breath, wringing her wrists. "I could have fuckin' prevented it!"

Her hands slammed down on the small desk in the corner, the sting causing a vibrating feel to her hands, but Akane ignored it. _This pain is nothing compared to how it must have felt to smash into a pillar...!_

Pissed, that's what she was. Undeniably pissed. Pissed at the world, pissed at Monokuma, pissed at Gundam, pissed at everyone here, pissed at _herself._  

**"What are you doing, Owari?"**

Inhaling sharply, Akane whipped around at the gruff voice. The Ultimate Gymnast had always been terrified about ghosts, but he was right there- a flicker of white, blue, and black, sitting on the corner of her bed. Occasionally, Nekomaru's body switched between the body he had possessed before, and his robot body- or "Mechamaru", as Chiaki Nanami called him. 

"C-Coach...! I thought you were...!" She cut short, slamming her jaw shut as she stared at him with wide eyes, taking a step backwards. All of her former anger had seeped out of her, eyes going glassy with fear. "A... ghost?"

Nekomaru laughed, the sound cutting clearly through the air, but shook his head. **"No, Owari. Not a ghost. A figment of your imagination."**

"Th-That's impossible," Akane said, still weak at the knees, despite the fact that Nekomaru had said he wasn't a ghost. "You're dead!"

 **"I am!"** the loud team manager agreed. **"In this form, I can't take a shit, but I'm still here!"**

Brown eyes trained on him, she didn't move. "It's my fault... you're dead... I should've...!"

Immediately, as the words _'you're dead'_ left her mouth, his wide smile pulled down in a frown, brow furrowing as he looked at Akane. **"I accepted the fight against Gundam, so, Owari, you shouldn't blame yourself for my death.** "

"I could have intervened when you were hanging off the damn doorknob!" 

**"What would have you done, Owari?!"**

Pausing in opening her mouth, Akane stared at Nekomaru, frame taunt. It was probably the first time he really rose his voice to knock some sense into her. 

**"The instant I woke up, that's when my death was final. How would you have caught me, if Gundam broke the button before hand, and you couldn't go up to Strawberry House? You would be stuck in Grape House and Grape Hall, unable to do anything, so it wouldn't have changed!"**

"But-"

**_"Owari."_ **

"But, Coach-"

**"Akane!"**

At her name, the Ultimate Gymnast stiffened, then silenced. Passing a flickering hand over his eyes, Nekomaru inhaled deeply. 

 **"If it wasn't me, it would be Gundam as the victim, and me as the killer,"** he reminded her. **"Would you have that over what happened in reality?"**

Casting her eyes downward, Akane muttered a quick 'no', remembering the sudden burn that came to her eyes at the sight of her coach's broken body, then the screams and cries of Sonia Nevermind. 

A ruffle on top of her head caused her to lift her chin, still quiet as Nekomaru offered her a closed-eyed smile, a hand placed on top of her head. His actual touch was almost like wind- it didn't feel like a human hand. 

**"Stay strong, Akane! You have the guts to do it!"**

And just like that, he was gone.

The burn behind her eyes started again. 


	17. Through One's Screen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A talentswap! Kuzupeko.

When his screen lit up beside him, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu didn't even spare it a glance, instead keeping his gaze focused on the TV screen in front of him while his fingers flicked across the controls. 

It was only when his character reached a checkpoint that he stopped, flicking a disinterested look at the screen before his features broke out in a smile.

_Peko Pekoyama is calling..._

His eyes went back to the gaming screen, although his foot shifted and one of his toes tapped the green button.

"Hey, Peko," Fuyuhiko greeted. "Long time no see." 

It was a few moments before a monotone voice answered. "Yes, Fuyuhiko. How have you been?" 

"Good, actually. Sis stopped fuckin' bothering me relentlessly, and she leaves the house more, so I'm left on my own more often then not." 

"That's not what I am asking."

Fuyuhiko sighed, then dropped his controller. Peko probably couldn't see it, as it was an audio call, but he didn't know if she caught notice of the slight and small noise it made when it hit the ground. 

"When was the last time you slept?" 

" _Sleep sleep_ or just sleep?"

"A full eight hours without disturbance." 

"..." 

A heavy sigh came from the phone. "I'm not sure this is healthy, Fuyuhiko. I am aware of the fact you love your games and all, but to be up at-" Pause. "-two in the morning? Almost every night, and play until sunrise, before sleeping another two to three hours?" 

"I'm so glad you're concerned for me," Fuyuhiko mumbled. "I was accepted into Hope's Peak as the Ultimate Gamer." 

"What are you even doing all this time?"

"Spending quality time with people."

"With people who exist only through the screen." 

"Yeah. I have a girlfriend through that screen."

He caught it.

The slight snort that was mixed with a laugh, an attempt to cover up a small bout of laughter. Without his consent, his heart beat a little faster in his chest, skipping one beats too many as his chest started to hurt.

 _A princess, out of all things,_ he thought bitterly. _A fucking princess. I fell in love with a princess._

His hands returned unconsciously to his controller, fingers wrapping around it as they fell onto the buttons. 

"Are you doing anything during Winter Break? The last few days, anyway?" 

Peko went silent for a few moments, and Fuyuhiko could hear her fingernails tapping against the marble surface that was her desk. Probably. 

"Nothing, really. I'm heading back to Japan, as you know. My vacation ended here already, I'm leaving tomorrow," she murmured. 

At the opening, Fuyuhiko felt his lips lift into something resembling a smile, features lit up the ghostly glow of the gaming screen. "Do you think you can come over to my house again?" 

A pause, like Peko was considering it.

"Yes, I think I could do that. I have not been to your house yet, have I?"

"I'm not even sure if you could call this piece of shit a house," Fuyuhiko snorted. _It's nothing compared to hers._

Another snort-laugh from Peko. 

 _Bloody hormones_ , Fuyuhiko thought as something representing a blush scattered across his freckled cheeks. 

"I did not tell you this earlier, but I am currently on a plane."

"Ah, so that explains the bitching noise in the background." 

 "I wouldn't put it that way, but yes."

He spammed the buttons, carefully and swiftly killing the boss onscreen. 

Again, another sigh. "Fuyuhiko, go to sleep."

"I don't want to," the gamer replied.

"Fuyuhiko, I'm worried about you and your lack of real sleep- you probably have bags under your eyes. That worries me. This can severely affect your health, and I do not need you passing out in the middle of the street when you're walking back to school. So, please, go to sleep. For me."

In his surprise, Fuyuhiko bit his tongue. "Shit- ow!"

There it was again- the familiar feeling of a blush settling upon his cheeks. "W-W-Wait, what?" 

"I said to go to sleep."

"No, no, after that." 

A sharp gasp, then a small curse, something that paled in comparison to most of Fuyuhiko's curses, but a curse nonetheless. 

"I m-mean-!"

 _It's so unlike her to trip over her letters,_ Fuyuhiko noted. 

"Can you please forget that last part? I request that from you, it was a selfish act on my part. My apologizes."

"No need to act all formal over it, Peko," he said, collecting several prizes from defeating another boss. "It's just a mistake." 

Fuyuhiko was well trained in keeping his voice from wavering, as was Peko, but in reality, heat had crawled all over his cheeks and neck. 

"A-Ah, but still...! A princess doesn't say things such as that in public." 

_I'm going for it._

"But still, you're really cute when you stutter."

_Holy shit, I actually said it. What the fuck was I thinking?! Idiot, idiot, idiot!_

It almost felt like he was about to blow his top, and explode in a flustered mess. 

Peko still hadn't replied, and Fuyuhiko actually took a break from his game, golden eyes trained worriedly on his phone as he awaited her answer.

She ended the call.

When the noise cut short, Fuyuhiko groaned and flipped onto his stomach as he flopped back. "Idiot! I totally ruined my friendship with her!" 

Cold water slapped him in the face as he found himself in the bathroom, with soaked hands and a wet headset, along with droplets dribbling down his skin and hanging off his chin for a second before hitting the sink. 

"God... fucking... dammit..." he groaned, putting mostly of his weight on his hands as he leaned over the sin, the water sliding easily down his face, as if the surface was marble. 

It took quite a bit of self-convincing for Fuyuhiko to walk back in his gaming room. His character had died in his absence, but the gamer gave little to no care whatsoever. 

As he sat down in his usual spot, he mumbled: "I totally blew it. I totally blew a hole in the bridge of our relationship." 

The screen lit up beside him. 

_Peko Pekoyama: I'm still coming to your house._

But, it was more fun to climb around the hole to get to the other side rather then let it be. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where was I going with this again...?


	18. Revenge's Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nearly twenty-five years after the Neo World Simulation ended, the children of the Remnants of Despair find that their happiness is short-lived- all because of someone set on achieving despair once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NextGen! Danganronpa!

"Kosaki-chan! Kosaki-chaaaaaaaaan!"

Kosaki Mioda paused, her brush frozen in mid-air, head cocked to the side. "Hm?" 

"Chihiro-chan says there's a meeting in the tree-house! C'mon, c'mon!" 

"Yuto, I'm a little too old for the tree-house," Kosaki protested, trying her best to not allow her arm to fall, which would ensure that her brush would hit the paper and mess it up. The relentless tugging that came from her younger brother didn't stop after her statement, to which she sighed to.

"Please! You're still a Mioda! Mommy said that we should always enjoy things in life!"

"While she was attempting to break glass using high-pitched frequencies."

Yuto Mioda stopped tugging at the baggy sweater his older sister was wearing, looking up with innocent eyes. "What's fre-quen-sees?"

"You'll learn when you're older," promised Kosaki, and took this opening to dettach the tiny fist that clenched around the fabric of her clothing. "May I get back to painting now?" 

"But even Aruno-chan's there!"

_Aruno?_

Aruno Nidai was the oldest of their generation- a tall, rather filled-out teenager at the age of nineteen. Kosaki thought he spent a little too much time with one of the older residents of the island- Peko Kuzuryuu, and, in turn, learned how to keep his face as emotionless as she could. Nonetheless, he took a lot after his mother with tan skin, dark hair, and dark eyes, along with a playful grin that showed up once every blue moon. 

"Then it should be important," Kosaki resigned at last, setting down her brush. She frowned at her unfinished painting- it would be a shame to leave it out to dry before she added the shading. She stood, offering a hand to her younger brother. 

With a wide grin, the black-haired little boy took it, swinging it back and forth as he skipped ahead. "Come on, Kosaki-chan! Faster, faster!"

"Slow down! I'm not as fast as your tiny little legs can go!"

In response, Yuto only barely slowed down. 

In the middle of Jabberwock Park was a tree-house- but it really wasn't a tree-house. It towered off the statue in the middle of the clearing, constructed by the best and only mechanic on the island- Kazuichi Souda.

"Ah! Kosaki, Yuto, you're here!" 

Kosaki held back a flinch as a blur of brown landed on the ground, teetering only in the slightest before straightening.

"Hey, Maka-chan!"

"Is everyone coming...?" Kosaki murmured. 

Maka Hinata crossed her arms, tapping one foot on the ground. "Yep, yep! Or, at least, they should be. We're waiting on Takuya, Mitsuko, and Kuroo. We were waiting on you before then, but now you're here, so, yay!" 

With that, she spun back around and made her way back up the tree- but not by the ladder. She instead went by the handholds provided by the statue, swinging herself up until she reached the opening. 

Maka was only twelve, and the middle, adoptive child of the polygamous relationship between Chiaki Hinata (who was really a program in the first place, recreated into a robot by Kazuichi Souda- he did all the work around here, didn't he?), Hajime Hinata, and Nagito Hinata. 

"Up you go," Kosaki said to Yuto, lifting a finger and pointing up to the tree-house. "I'll be here to catch you if you fall, okay?" 

With a laugh, Yuto started to climb up to the tree-house, Kosaki's eyes focused on him. 

"Aw, man, we're not last, are we?" 

Once she saw Yuto safely crawl into the tree-house, Kosaki turned, her black hair swinging side to side. 

"Mitsuko, Takuya," she greeted.

"Shame, we tried doing Mom's _'thirteen-minutes-ahead'_ thing. So are we late, or what? I really hope we're not last, 'cause I bet Takuya my entire first plate at dinner if we were!" 

Mitsuko and Takuya Tanaka were twins- and it didn't help they were almost identical, if not for being different genders. They loved pretending to wake up in the body of the other, and claim their genders were switched.

"No, not at all. Kuroo's not here yet."

Mitsuko whipped around to face her twin. "Hah! I get your first plate at dinner!"

"Aw, come on," Takuya complained, grabbing the rung of the ladder and beginning to pull himself up. "Kuroo's timing is horrible!" 

"My timing is what?" 

"Speak of the devil, why couldn't ya come sooner?! Now I have to give up food!" 

"It's your fault you made the deal," Kuroo Hinata was the oldest of the adopted children, taking more after his white-haired dad and mom then anyone else. Soft-spoken, usually sleepy, but had an unbelievably sharp eye and tongue at times. 

Takuya only pouted in return, now half-way up the tree and followed by his twin. 

It was only then Kuroo noticed Kosaki. "Oh, I didn't see you there... pardon me..." 

"It's fine," She said after a moment, placing a hand on a rung of the ladder and pulling herself upwards. The journey seemed so much shorter then it was eight years ago, when she was seven. 

After she crawled into the tree-house, she was surprised to _really_ see everyone there. Leaning against the wall was Aruno, eyes cast down. Next to him was his younger sibling, Hayate, but there was no sign of Suzu. 

"About time you came up!" Maka chirped. "I thought it would be foreeeeeever!"

"She was waiting for me," Kuroo responded, pulling himself up after Kosaki. "It's fine. I'm here now." 

"About fucking time." 

Kosaki's eyes flickered over to the blonde leaning against the wall in the corner- the blonde herself was only several months older then her, yet Kosaki felt as if the age difference between them was years. 

Natsumi Kuzuryuu rapped her knuckles against the wooden floor of the tree-house, arching an eyebrow at Aruno. "What the hell are we here for? For fuck's sake, if it's not worth my time, half of you ain't gonna come out of here alive." 

She certainly took her tongue from her father- there was no doubt, since Fuyuhiko was the only one who swore that much on the entire island. As of now, she was the only daughter of Peko and Fuyuhiko, and Natsumi was glad for that- according to her, anyway. 

"Calm down, Natsumi."

Sending Ren Souda a scathing glare, Natsumi slammed the heel of her boot against the floor. "Well? Out with it!" 

"Um... haha..." Ren glanced over in Aruno's direction, who had lifted his head. "I don't know why we're here..." She scratched her cheek. 

"I sent Chihiro ahead before me," Aruno replied, glancing over at the small brunet who was doodling on his leg in the corner. Unease flickered over the boy's face, but it was quickly smothered- yet, Kosaki caught it.

Along with Kuroo, she stood, walking closer to the oldest Nidai and whispered under her breath. "... something's wrong."

"You know me that well, hm?" Aruno responded breathlessly. 

"It's been fifteen years for me, and nearly fourteen for Kuroo. We've lived together our entire life." 

"Lock-down drill."

Both Kuroo and Kosaki stiffened at the same time. "Lock-down drill?!" 

In curiosity, Ren looked over at them, but Kosaki hurriedly waved her off. 

"They know Suzu's not coming, since I told them that Suzu's with Mom, but..." 

"For now, we just need everyone to play the silent game. Natsumi deserves to know, since she's older then Kosaki here. Ren, Takuya, and Mitsuko... what about them?"

"Ren's younger at the age of thirteen," Aruno mused. "She's still pretty quiet, it doesn't matter which scenario. The twins may or may not be in the game. Let's try it. Kuroo, you tell Natsumi. Kosaki and I will handle the rest." 

With a nod, the black-haired Hinata turned his back, instead kneeling beside Natsumi, bringing a finger to his lips as he spoke in hushed tones.

Natsumi's eyes widened, mouth opened in a little 'o'.

This was the first lock-down that had happened in Kosaki's lifetime. The lock-down before that... only Aruno was... 'living' at the time, and even then, he was only two. The families had gone over what they should do in a lock-down multiple times, for all the kids were supposed to head in the tree house and camp in the farthest corner, where there was no windows.

"All right," Aruno waved to Chihiro. "Come on, up and at it, let's circle around Chihiro."

"Aruno-chan," Yuto asked, cocking his head. "What are we doing?"

The said Nidai smiled down at the youngest child in the tree-house. "The silent game." 

"Ooh, ooh!" 

Chihiro lifted his head, a sleepy look on his face. "Mm...?" 

"Are you guys okay with that? Or we can play Poison Frog, that too." 

"Poison Frog! Poison Frog!" Hayate Nidai jumped up and down, his dark hair, almost blue in this lighting bobbing up and down. 

"Ah, but I have to add a rule so we don't get too overdramatic. If your death is too loud, you eliminate the Poison Frog. And remember, everyone's against the Detective." 

Kosaki felt her heart swelling. She loved the Poison Frog game- there was the Poison Frog, the Detective, and then everyone else. The Detective had to find out who the Poison Frog was, while the Poison Frog was killing everyone behind their back, by sticking their tongue out at someone. That person would then die. 

"I'll join. Come on, remember to be silent." 

Silence was the key. This lock-down was for real. 


	19. [Nagito Komaeda X Female! Reader]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A traditional artist. A boy whose's luck cycle is all but good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy a oneshot that's like 3000 words long.

If it was anything that you loved doing, more then anything in the world, it was drawing.

Just the feeling of pen against paper, scratching an intricate design against a sheet, the silvery-grey sheen of lead- you loved it all.

You had gone through almost six sketchbooks of at least two-hundred pages each, each with your own design on the front.

Flipping through the said sixth sketchbook, opening to the page where you had left one of your sketches of your childhood friend, Hinata Hajime, unfinished, you settled down at a desk.

"Class of the seventy-seventh," you mused, delicately skimming your pencil across one of the lines to Hajime's hair.

"I do believe that's us," a voice from above informed you.

Immediately drawing the sketchbook to your chest (as you hated the thought of anyone seeing them), you glanced up at the same time, lips pulled in a slight frown at the sudden appearance.

White hair, speckled and tinged with russet here and there. The hair floated out in what you could call wisps, paired with a pair of light green, almost grey, eyes.

Your first thought was _I want to draw his hair._

"An Ultimate, I presume?" The boy asked, cocking his head to the side with a calming yet an oddity look in his eyes.

"Ah, yes," you shut your sketchpad, an action with such a hurried motion you nearly ripped one of the pages, and stood, bowing to the taller boy.

"I am (l/n) (f/n)," you said calmly. "It is a pleasure to meet you. My talent is the Ultimate Traditional Artist."

When you straightened, he stared at you with that taciturn smile before seeming to snap out of it.

"A traditional artist, I see. It is, at least, more use then my own title. I'm the supposed Ultimate Lucky Student of this class. Pleasure to meet you, (l/n)-san."

"You can drop the -san."

"Very well, (l/n)."

"And your name...?"

"Ah, pardon me. I forgot to introduce myself... My name is Komaeda Nagito, though it is of no importance."

You sat back down again, lifting your sketchbook to your nose, peering over the edge at Nagito, your eyes trained on every detail of his face, hair, neck, and shoulders, to absorb every detail when you drew him later.

His attention was drawn to the door, as was yours, but the instant you saw the spiked brown hair, you jumped up, rushing to the door.

"Hajime!"

Wrapping your arms around him in a tight hug, taking notice of how the bigger gap in your height difference, you pouted as you pulled away.

"(f/n)," Hajime greeted with the cock of his head and a slight smile.

"Why'd you grow taller during the summer?"

"How should I know?" He replied, and you tugged at the fabric of his tie before stepping back and looking up at him.

Forgetting Nagito was there temporarily, you turned, then bit your lip. "Ah, before you assume anything, we're not in a relationship..."

"Of course I didn't assume- that would be wrong of trash like me to do something human. After all, my life is just mere compared to the rest of the Ultimates..."

You frowned. "Komaeda...? Why are you trash-talking to yourself?"

"It's not like my existence matters," Nagito replied simply, then turned away from you.

Hajime placed a hand on your shoulder, guiding you back to your seat as the others students started to fill one, walking in a line into the classroom like ducklings behind their mother.

As your gaze skimmed over them- there was a girl with dyed hair and horns, as well as a quite tall man with dark hair and scars on his face- it was a flock of pigeons, all different colors yet the same.

But there was nothing else you wanted to draw more then Komaeda Nagito.

So you did.

As time flew by, as months trickled down, you filled the rest of your sketchbook, and was almost half way through your seventh. The pages were filled with sketches of your classmates.

There were dozens of all different people- Pekoyama Peko, with her intimidating gaze, Tsumiki Mikan and her choppy hair, Tanaka Gundam with his fancy do and hamsters- all your classmates had a strange aura to them, yet somewhat comforting.

But that wasn't all.

It was Nagito who dominated most your pages. Him wearing his hoodie (which he did occasionally) with a large ' _55_ ' blazed in red on its' back, him and his distant smile, him against the background of the window, looking towards Fuyuhiko as he discussed their topic in a rational tone.

Nagito and his lean frame, long limbs, and those almost-creepy-looking pale eyes.

Through the months, you mind decided to have a _terrible, terrible, terrible_ crush on him, a crush that you would rather wait on from afar then get close to Nagito. And good god, was he a beautiful human being, both inside and out to others.

Everything about him seemed to come together to create a picture of an angel, but you knew that Nagito still talked trash about himself, didn't view himself as a human being, and seemed more broken inside then fixed.

There were chills you got whenever he offered that gentle smile to you- it reminded you of shattered, stained glass. A whirlwind of different emotions and colors, combined together to create a beautiful picture, and people never focused on the individual colors, but the glass as a whole.

You finished the curve of one of the wisps in Nagito's hair, noticing that people had began to slip out of the classroom, Hiyoko and Mahiru chattering (more on the former's part) as they left.

"-(f/n)-chan~?"

You flickered your gaze upwards, biting your lip, almost expecting Hajime, who had been absent nearly the past month when you heard your first name.

Alas, you believed yourself to be stupid in believing so, as the voice was undoubtedly female, and Hajime wouldn't dare add -chan to your name with such a teasing tone.

Mioda Ibuki set her elbows down on your desk, grinning widely. "Ciao, ciao, (f/n)-chan!" She sang. "How are you this wonderful afternoon, 'cause Ibuki's doing great, great, great!"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," you muttered, gathering up your things, but Ibuki blocked your way, her light, coral-colored eyes bright.

"Why don't you come with Ibuki home? You usually go with Hajime-chan, right? But Hajime-chan's been gone for a _veeeeeeeeery_ long time! So why don't you go with Ibuki?"

You stiffened at the mention of Hajime. He hadn't been picking up your calls, nor answering your texts, and when you checked by his house, either his mom or dad said he 'wasn't available'.

"Mioda-san," a voice cut her off, and you inhaled sharply, recognizing it as Komaeda Nagito himself.

The said student had come up behind Ibuki, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure she would appreciate you not reminding her of his absence."

Ibuki pouted, still gazing at you with her energetic gaze. "Then (f/n)-chan can come just for fun!"

"Actually..."

You didn't really want to walk with Ibuki- last time you heard, Ibuki had 'blackmailed' Fuyuhiko and Peko into walking with her, and following that, the Ultimate Yakuza was even more outraged then usual, set off even at the slightest thing.

"Um, I have something at my house for Na- I mean, Komaeda, so I need to take him there," you lied through your teeth.

Cocking her head to the side, Ibuki flashed you a wild grin. "O-K! Tomorrow, then, (f/n)-chan~!"

As she left with a bounce in her step, Nagito turned his green-grey eyes to you, raising an eyebrow.

"Something at your house...?" He mused. "You shouldn't of have- I suppose it is a drawing, no...? I don't believe I'm worth drawing..."

You frowned at him. "Can you stop trash-talking to yourself, Nag-" you caught yourself mid-sentence; you had gotten so used to calling him just 'Nagito' in your mind that it nearly slipped. "Komaeda."

"You can call me by my first name if you want," Nagito said. "Anything, really. Whatever you would prefer."

Your (e/c)-colored eyes widened a fraction, shock running through them. "But isn't a first-name basis for close friends?"

"If you consider me one- which I doubt you do- you may call me Nagito," he nodded once, sweeping a lock of white hair out of his eyes.

Your mind flashed to the dozens of sketches of Nagito that you had created, and how you had all titled it with just _Nagito._

"Well, it's only fair if you call me (f/n), then," you insisted.

"I couldn't."

"Nagito."

His shoulders squared, and Nagito almost looked like he was regretting allowing you to call him by his first name- it seemed like he wasn't used to it.

"Oh, sorry... do I need to revert back to Komaeda again?"

"No, no, it's just fine. It's been a long time since someone's called me by my first name."

"What about your parents?"

For the briefest of seconds, his eyes drilled into you, moments of strained silence before he answered.

"My parents are dead."

You stiffened automatically, guilt rooting itself in your stomach. "Ah, I'm sorry for bringing it up..."

Nagito offered you another smile, which really should not have made your heart skip several beats. "It's completely fine, (f/n)-san, I've gotten over it by now."

He said your first name.

You exhaled, puffing up your cheeks before grabbing your sketchbook, sliding it into your bag. "You all ready to go?"

Checking over himself one last time before nodding, Nagito followed you out the door.

On the way home, you were sure to avoid showing him the pictures you had drawn of him (besides several of your favorites, both including him in his green hoodie, which he actually had, draped over his shoulder on the walk), but still flipped through your drawings.

"It's evident why you're the Ultimate Traditional Artist," Nagito remarked, admiring a drawing of Nevermind Sonia.

"It's not that good, honestly..."

"Nonsense, (f/n)-san. It's pure, raw talent, an _actual_ talent, unlike my own or Hinata Hajime's himself."

You frowned at the thought. Hajime had informed you that he hadn't been accepted as an Ultimate, but rather a Reserve Course Student.

"Didn't you just tell Mioda not to bring him up...?"

"Ah. Apologizes," Nagito allowed his hand to fall to his side, fingers brushing for the briefest of seconds.

"Oh, I'm here," you stopped, glancing up at the brick walls of your house. "Let me grab you... something..."

You actually didn't have anything, but you could still improvise, right?

"Stay right here, Nagito," you called over your shoulder, to which he replied, but you couldn't hear it. Stealing up the stairs, you rummaged through multiple folders, finally selecting your (f/c) folder and flicking through it.

Your favorite Nagito drawing gazed up at you- the sheen of the graphite in the pencil had caught his eyes perfectly, highlighting the tones in those eyes. Without a second thoughts, you plucked it up out the folder with the thought of _'he deserves this'._

In your pocket, your phone beeped, signaling you had received a text.

With a small amount of hesitation, you flipped open your phone to see the message from one of the underclassmen- Enoshima Junko.

_Enoshima: hey girl i just saw something_

_Enoshima: Hinata dead_

You caught your breath.

_Enoshima: it just came out that they found some guys body and I think its yurs_

_Enoshima: haha lol that came out weird ;P didnt finish my sen I mean yur friend_

_Enoshima: *sent picture message*_

Your eyes started to burn as the words jumped out at you.

**RESERVE COURSE STUDENT BODY FOUND**  
**CONFIRMED DEAD**

In smaller lettering:

_Hajime Hinata, a Reserve Course Student, was found dead at 18:03 on Saturday, March 8th. Cause of death is unknown, although the body was burned to almost cinders. Traces of poison were found._

Unable to bring yourself to look at the picture, you lowered your phone, the device slipping out of your hands and falling to the carpet.

You didn't care.

Hajime was dead.

Your childhood friend, someone who you had a crush on in middle school (but got over, thank god, _that_ was awkward), Hinata Hajime, was dead.

And he could have been dead for who-knows-how long.

Sinking to the ground, despair beginning to clog your throat, grief beginning to nip at your heart, a hand- your hand bunches a bundle of folds from your shirt, and you couldn't think because _Hajime was dead_ and you couldn't think straight, but Nagito _was still out there waiting for you,_ and you still couldn't think.

It was as if a good portion of your life had been ripped away in an instant, but in this case, it had, since Hajime _had always been there,_ and he was one of those toothpicks in a tower of toothpicks- you pull him out and it'll all come crashing down.

You suddenly became aware of Junko sending another mocking- what are those called? Emojis?- face to you, and the pressure of trying to survive the next day of school without being questioned repeatedly, and the fact that you could dimly recognize your mom's voice of 'oh, yes, she's upstairs'.

Everything became a blur, but you could make out white peeking into the room.

"(f/n)-san-!"

_No, no, crap, he's not supposed to see me like this-_

Attempting to rub away the tears that had fallen unnoticed, fallen from the sky that were your eyes, you smiled weakly at Nagito, as if everything was okay and you weren't crying on the floor on your room.

Then: "Enoshima-san delivered the news to you as well, hm?"

You stiffened.

"I knew earlier," he stated with a shrug. "... Just didn't want to tell you. Most the class knew as well, people like Owari, Mioda, and Tanaka didn't know. But she just sent a text to the whole group of Hope's Peak..."

Nagito sighed, the exhale of breathe causing his bangs to ruffle. "I suppose we can use his death to achieve more in his name. Use it to make the beacon of hope shine through Class 77..."

"You say that as if he wasn't even a person!"

Rage, brittle, coarse, surged through you as you were suddenly on your feet, a scorching fire in your soul, intent on burning Nagito to the ground.

His eyes widened and he blinked, the emotion being wiped clean from them.

"I suppose you would defend him," Nagito mused. "You were, after all, friends..."

Hot, angry tears ran down your face, and you didn't understand how he was so calm, this _was the death of a student in your class._

"You-!"

Grabbing the tie and yanking him down with you as your knees gave out beneath your, about as solid as jelly, you fell on your butt, one arm propped up behind you and the other hand curled around Nagito's tie.

"H-How... h-how could you say that...?"

Releasing him, you allowed your hand to sweep a lock of hair out of your reddened eyes before propping it up behind you.

The thought of holding yourself up went out the window as you let your arms buckle, bringing you to the ground, flat on your back.

"(f/n)..."

Your name, with no -san added to it, sent chills- _good chills,_ as much as you would hate to admit it, down your spine and neck.

"... I'm sorry. It's terrible of me to refer to your childhood friend is such a way. After all, my comments mean nothing So don't let that get to your inner hope." 

You shifted, tilting your head to look at him, him who was crouching with his head cocked, white hair swaying slightly side to side. 

"... what am I going to do without Hajime...? I didn't even... see him in a romantic sense, but... he's my best friend-" _Was_ , your mind whispered, but it was too painful to refer to him in past tense. '- and my brother." 

There was the sound of feet sliding across carpet, some rustling of folds, and you heart quickened as Nagito's face reappeared just above yours, much closer then you would of had preferred. 

"Get up."

"W-What?"

"Get up," Nagito repeatedly simply, blinking rather innocently. "You're not going to let the despair of his death get to you, will you? Instead, why don't you awaken the hope inside of you? This unforgettable, horrid feeling of despair- do you really want to bask in it when you could embrace hope?" 

You sat up, swiping a fist across your cheek to quickly (attempt) to rid of dried tears. "... no, I don't want... to feel like this for a long time..." 

"Exactly," Nagito nodded.  "Would, ah, Hinata-san want you to feel despair?"

"N-No...?" 

"Then hold your head up high and shine through this despair!" 

You bit your lip, casting a glance at the abandoned phone on the carpet, open and still displaying the newspaper picture. 

_Hajime..._

_Nagito..._

"Hey, Nagito?"

"Mm?" 

You turned your head to the side, only to find that- _holy crap, he's so freaking close._ He had his hands slid into the pockets of his blazer, head cocked to the side once more. Upon seeing your expression, Nagito chuckled sheepishly and straightened. 

"I'm sorry, you don't want trash like me near you, do you?" 

"Nagito, I told you to stop trash-talking to yourself..."

You held up your arms, and bewilderment crossed his face, an expression you hadn't seen before on him- pure disbelief. 

"Are you going to pull me up?" 

Blinking in surprise, Nagito's only response was to hook his wiry arms below yours, pulling you up with an easy tug, stronger then what you had thought. 

It was a little awkward for you, as you basically fell into his chest after he released you, and gosh, Nagito was tall, taller then a good portion of the class. 

_... is that the smell of pine needles...?_

Nonetheless, to make it less awkward, you stepped backwards, rubbing at your neck.

"Ah.. sorry... you had to see me like that..." 

Nagito offered you another smile- yet, it wasn't his usual smile, the one of a broken boy, but instead a caring one. 

"It's fine. We all break, after all." 

 


	20. [Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu X Reader]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Fuyuhiko. Very much.

"Ugh..."

You couldn't help it- you laughed at your boyfriend's misery. "It's your fault for having pizza and icecream~"

"I didn't realize Hanamura's pizza would be that good, dammit...! I couldn't help myself!" Fuyuhiko groaned, curling more into a ball on the couch.

"You feeling side-effects?"

"Clearly..."

"Aw, come here."

Instead of Fuyuhiko complying, you shuffled closer to him on the couch, hooking an arm around his waist and pulling the short male towards you.

"I feel like my stomach's about to combust," Fuyuhiko moaned, burying his head into your neck. "Goddammit..."

"You're lactose-intolerant, you know what happens when you have too much lactose," you reminded your boyfriend.

The Ultimate Yakuza puffed out his cheeks and blew, causing a tickling sensation along your jawline. "I o-overestimated m-my limits..."

"Clearly," you remarked.

Fuyuhiko shifted, instead wrapping his arms comfortably around you, but still resting his head on your shoulder. "... God, t-this is hell..." he choked out.

You took his hand, rubbing circles in the palm of his left hand. To your surprise, Fuyuhiko let out what seemed to be almost a purr.

"Was that a purr?"

His golden-brown eyes, formerly closed, flicked open. "Dunno, don't care..."

He went back to nuzzling your neck and you tried your best to cut off a giggle at the feeling.

When you first met Fuyuhiko, you never would've pegged him for a romantic. He was a short, foul-mouthed yakuza. It was rare he would even hold hands in public with you unless someone was eyeing his (y/n).

Yet, all that changed when he was either sleepy or just tired of putting up with things and willing to pull down his barriers. Holding hands, forehead kisses, he would even sometimes come up behind you and wrap his arms around your waist and blink sleepily at you.

"Do you need a tummy-rub?" You offered as the yakuza heir seemed to flinch again.

"Nah... I'm su-sure it'll be over... soon enough..."

You could feel his eyelashes closing against your skin, and, turning your head to face the yakuza beside you without shifting too much, you could see what could be counted as an angelic expression on his features.

"You're such a cutie pie, you know that?" You kissed his forehead.

"Don't call me that... (y/n)..." Fuyuhiko slurred and only snuggled against you more.


	21. [Gamer! Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu X Reader]

"Fuyuhiko, keep it down, would you?" You called, slipping your headphones down to rest around your neck. "You're doing an unbelievable amount of cursing."

Your boyfriend seemed to pay no attention to you, as your comment was followed by a loud yell of "Hajime, you little _shit!_ " and the noise of something hitting the ground.

"Oh, dear," you sighed, setting down your phone and getting up.

Sure enough, you found Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, also known as the Super High School Level Gamer, or the Ultimate Gamer, cursing colorfully at the screen.

"What's the source of all your stress?" You asked, sitting beside him.

His golden-brown eyes didn't leave the screen as he ground his teeth, looking as if he was about to break the screen with a fist. "Komaeda's being a little _fucktard,_ and Hajime's helping him."

There was a noise from his headset, which sounded suspiciously like a chuckle then a smart comment- from different people.

" _GODDAMMIT, PEKO!"_

Leaning away from your boyfriend as he cursed his childhood friend, you twirled the wire of the game controller in your fingers.

"What are you playing?"

Fuyuhiko looked like he was centimeters away from face-palming. "You don't know what _fucking Mario Kart_ is?"

Knowing that Fuyuhiko swore on a daily basis, and even more when he was irritated at how things were going in the game, you ignored the venom hissing behind his words.

"I live under a rock with my boyfriend," you said, reaching up and messing up his short-cropped, sandy-blonde hair.

Fuyuhiko snorted, his eyes still glassy and focused on the screen. "I was doing pretty damn fine until Nagito came in with his fuckin' _luck-"_

You laughed, wrapping one arm around his neck and slouching down so that your head could rest on his shoulder. "I love it when you're pouty, it's so cute- and when you're pissed- minus the cursing part."

Fuyuhiko puffed out his cheeks, thumbs flying across the controller. " _Komaeda! If you get one more fucking blue shell, I'm gonna rip your shitty head of that damn neck!"_

This time, you were close enough to hear Nagito Komaeda's response of "I'm terribly sorry, but I don't choose when I get a blue shell."

"Then find out how to, Shittymaeda!" Your boyfriend roared back, his character- which looked suspiciously like a mini Mario- taking a shortcut.

"You're still in the lead, I don't get your problem..."

"It's because I'm slowing down!"

"You're an entire _lap_ ahead of us," the other voice, which you assumed was Hajime, was followed by a bang. "Crap, I just dropped my controller!"

"So?" Fuyuhiko challenged, opening his mouth to add on a retort when you stopped him with a kiss. "..."

Immediately, his cheeks darkened to an even red, even overshadowing the natural blush the Ultimate Gamer had.

"It seems like something's shut him up," Hajime observed.

"Sh-Shut up!"

"You're adorable," you mumbled into his ear, now positioning yourself to easily wrap your arms around his chest and back.

"(y-y/n)! Y-You're distracting me!"

"Oh, hi, Fuyuhiko's girlfriend," Peko greeted, her tone steely and emotionless. "I've heard of you before. He talks about you fondly."

"Does he really?"

You spared an amused glance at the Ultimate Gamer, who flushed again and bit his lip.

"P-Peko!"

"I'm sorry for being honest," was her reply.

"So, who's talking about me behind my back?" You teased, prodding him in the chest.

Fuyuhiko swatted your hand away, finally tugging his gaze away from the screen as his character cruised past the line- only barely beating the blue shell that whizzed past.

"Finally, you're giving me attention," you pouted.

Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes, but played with your fingers.

"You wanted attention?" He asked, raising a blonde eyebrow. "Sorry."

"It's fine, just you're always focused on your games, and-"

He pressed his lips to yours, effectively shutting you up.

"Good enough for you?" The Ultimate Gamer asked, with that adorable little smile as he pulled away.


	22. A Field Of Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin's last thought is of his beloved daughter when they still loved each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know that picture of Jin holding up Kyouko? Yeah, this is like... based around that.

How... how had he missed such an obvious detail? 

As a blanket was cast over Jin Kirigiri's eyes, the skin of his wrists scraped against the harsh sting of the rope only caused a burn. A sliver of pain wound around his nerves, but Jin never ceased his struggling. 

All he could hear was the bear's laughter, but it wasn't the same laugh that rung in his mind. 

_"Daddy, daddy!"_

_Five-year-old Kyouko Kirigiri ran to her father, her arms spread out for an embrace._

_With a short laugh, Jin picked her up, spinning her around. Kyouko's gleeful laugh filled his ears, the young Kirigiri finding nothing but delight in her father's playful spin._

_After a moment, he allowed his daughter to dip back to the ground again, a smooth motion as simple as the easy tide of the waves.  Pouting, the purple-haired child waved her little arms again, her small side-braid swinging side to side as if it was a swing itself._

_"Did I ever tell you how much I loved you?"_

He was never going to able to tell her again. 

_"Yes," Kyouko chirped, the sun in her eyes causing the reflection of the daises in the field to dance, leaves stretched up to the sky to hail their lord. "But you can say it as many times as you want, right? There's no limit for love!"_

_Jin chuckled, the noise low and vibrating in his throat, almost like a growl, yet much more friendly. "Ah, you really do pay attention to those stories your mother always read to you..."_

_"Of course I did!" She replied indignantly, her brow scrunching up in the same way the said mother always did. "Why wouldn't I?"_

_"I was just stating a fact, that's all."_

He was just stating a fact. So why had it been so hard for him to spot the obvious Ultimate Despair in the ranks of his students- not one, but two. 

_Hitching his little girl up in his arms, which were clothed in a simple button-up white shirt with his sleeves rolled up, Jin cradled her close to his chest. In response, her tiny fists tugged at his short, closely-cropped dark hair, a giggle passing through her as she did so._

_"Ah, Kyouko Kirigiri... you're my everything."  
_

And that 'everything' had been ripped away from Jin Kirigiri in an instant. 


	23. Her Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chisa doesn't know where it went wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dr 3 spoilers, and I should probably add all the new characters to the tags w h o o p s. Who are your new favorite characters? Mine's Great Gozu (rip all my favorite character dies and that's evidence) and Sonosuke Izayoi.   
> Also highly implied Kyosuke x Chisa

When Chisa Yukizome became the class of 77th's teacher, Kyosuke didn't know what to feel.

He _didn't_ feel. Yes, he has happy for her, the way she chattered into the phone, rambling on about people named something along the lines of Hiyoko, or Peko, or sometimes he even caught the word Fuyuhiko, although it was rare.

So many names. Teruteru, Akane, Nagito, Mikan, Hiyoko (Chisa said she was sort of rude), Fuyuhiko, Nekomaru... _So many names._

And they made her truly happy. Every day after school hours, Chisa would call Kyosuke and chat about her day.

Some days it was when they played video games, others were when Chisa talked about the saddening death of Fuyuhiko's sister, some girl named Natsumi.

But most of all, Kyosuke loved her voice. He would just stop working around when school hours ended and stare at the phone, waiting for when it rung and he could talk to Chisa once more.

One time, she didn't call.

Kyosuke waited.

She still didn't call.

It was only late in the night when she finally called.

" _Yukizome,"_ Kyosuke hissed, his tone more threatening then worrying. "Where were you?"

"... I was... busy."

Her tone was flat, close to cracking. Kyosuke frowned, immediately catching onto the lies lurking within her words.

"Where are you?"

"I'm... walking home."

"All right."

With that, the former Student Council member hung up the phone, the device making a _click_ as it lightly clashed with the other surface, and bidding farewell to the  chairman (an old man who's mind was really too clouded in his opinion- the only reason he was still chairman was probably the bulk of his bodyguard, the Great Gozu), Kyosuke left the building.

The drive to Chisa's house was eventful- the replay of her broken voice shattered his thought process, and involuntarily, his hands tightened on the wheel.

He pulled up next to her house, the house that he visited every now and then and held memories that surged within every wall located in the house. 

Shutting the door to Kyosuke's car, the man stood, balancing on the curb of the road before taking a deep breath and walking up to the door. 

"Yukizome," he called. 

There was a soft call beckoning him on inside, so Kyosuke tried the handle, the metal bending under his hand and allowing him inside.

There was no sight of Chisa's shoes or jacket when he first entered, so Kyosuke guessed that she hadn't taken them off yet. As he walked into the living room, guilty and worry slid its' way into his heart as he spotted his former classmate on the floor.

Chisa looked like a mess- her hair, that was usually up in a high-pony tail, was coming undone and spilling over her shoulders. The bow that usually in it was thrown to the floor, and her arms were wrapped around her knees, her head cocked to the side so that the bony part of her knee dug into the curve of her cheekbones. 

"O-Oh... hi, Kyosuke," she greeted weakly, tilting her head in the other direction and offering him a weak smile. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, but you're clearly not, Yukizome." 

"You can call me Chisa, you know," she murmured, waving a hand off in his direction as if she was saying 'shoo'. "And I'm perfectly fine. See?" 

Following her words, she smiled. 

Kneeling, Kyosuke placed a hand on her shoulder, a gesture he was a little uncomfortable with doing. "Tell me what's wrong." 

His voice was firm, steady, and Chisa fully broke. 

In an instant, she was full-out crying, her fingers curling tight into the sleeve of his white suit, her tears staining on the fabric. 

Kyosuke didn't understand her, as he never tried to understand her when Chisa went into one of her breakdowns, but he caught something along the lines of 'upperclassman expelled', 'bomb in the gym', 'reserve course', and the word Nagito. 

Nagito was repeated over and over again, and Chisa inhaled, her breath shuddering. "I-I slapped him, Kyosuke... I slapped N-Nagito." 

"You can be hard on them sometimes," was all that Kyosuke said this entire time. With ease, the white-haired male carried Chisa over to the couch, considering dropping her before deciding against it and plopping down on the couch. 

"I-I'm sorry you had to see me like this," she ran a sleeve over her eyes and attempted another smile. 

"It's fine." 

Chisa rested her head on the curve of his collarbone. "I got moved to the Reserve Course..." 

Kyosuke blinked. 

"... I can't be their teacher anymore," she said softly. "I'm never going to be able to call myself their teacher again. I won't be able to hear Hiyoko and Fuyuhiko bickering, never again Ryouta munching on his food, or the click-click of Chiaki playing video games in class. I won't be able to see Akane and Nekomaru fight it off.

"And Peko is probably going to go back to missing classes and instead train, while Kazuichi would probably lock himself up with his own machines. Gundam's gonna go back to taking care of animals instead of interacting with the other students, and Teruteru's probably never going to create foods just for his classmates again. 

"They're not going to come together as a class anymore." 

**Chisa Yukizome cared when no one else did.**

That's why it felt like a thousand sharp-edged glass shards were being thrust into Kyosuke Munakata's heart when her body fell from the ceiling to begin the Killing Game. 


	24. In a World Corrupted by Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a world where the Ultimate Despair and Future Foundation have switched roles, there is only one way to go about trying to help the world recover from the tragedy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo... I fell in love with an AU. The Future Foundation members are now the Ultimate Despair (so people like Kyosuke Munakata, Kazuo Tengan, and Seiko Kimura are now apart of the Ultimate Despair, and the 77th class is now apart of Future Foundation... kinda make sense? So basically the good guys are now the bad guys, and the bad guys are now good guys.  
> The Warriors of Hope have switched around as well, as well as Izuru.

 

> _Thoughts on The Tragedy_

>   
>  **The following was found in a notebook that was discarded on a desk in an organization known as Future Foundation. It is unknown who it belongs to.**
> 
> * * *
> 
>  

When the world first fell to the Tragedy, I believed that we could still recover on our own. However, I was wrong. As despair slowly consumed human-kind, a despair that told the tale of pure chaos and death, people were left to find on the streets, to survive on their own.

Which is why Future Foundation was created under the power of Taichi Fujisaki. He might have been much older then me, yes, he used to be a father of one, but he commanded Future Foundation with an iron fist, despite being as meek as he could be. 

The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History was not something you just joked around about. People, known as the Ultimate Despairs, killed and destroyed just for the fun of it.

The person who caused it all... the person who caused it all was Makoto Naegi. 

At first, he seemed like a simple boy, someone who belonged to the seventy-eighth class while I was in the Reserve Course in contrast to many people in Future Foundation, who mostly belonged to the seventy-seventh class and several other organizations. 

I... didn't really know what triggered the Tragedy. Maybe it was the terrible event of the Reserve Course students rioting (while I wasn't with them, I could understand where their pain came from), or maybe the mutual killing game that someone by the name of Genocider Syo forced the student council students in. 

But there was no time wasted in the world succumbing to despair. Makoto's followers made quick work of those who believed in hope on the streets- to be truthful, it didn't matter if they believed in hope or not, the Ultimate Despair would still kill them and laugh in glee as they danced upon bodies and bodies of innocent people. 

Under the bloom of despair, whose's petals were tainted with a enchanting yet agonizing taste, Future Foundation surged up, thorns in Makoto's side. Did we give up hope as his followers slaughtered dozens of people, if not hundreds?

Of course, and I refuse to let that slide now.

But... then something happened.

Makoto died, supposedly to what we now classify as the Ultimate Hope, Junko Enoshima. 

I remember seeing the Mutual Killing game that both she and 'Makoto Naegi' (not really, his sister, Komaru Naegi, stood in for him until he 'died' then reappeared as the mastermind) had to go through.

There were survivors, of course, but only two of them were not apart of the Ultimate Despair. Junko Enoshima and her sister, Mukuro Ikusaba. I didn't understand how they had different surnames, but they did, and when asked, Junko only laughs it off.

The other four survivors were Byakuya Togami, Kyouko Kirigiri (who could be called Makoto's right-hand woman in achieving despair), Yasuhiro Hagakure, and Touko Fukawa. 

 The Ultimate Despair's power weakened after Junko's death, but some still held a tight hold.

Some people in Future Foundation- Nagito, for example, or Fuyuhiko- believed that the Ultimate Despair needed to be truly destroyed, through and through, killing them.

Yet, wouldn't that be the same thing? Killing people?

There was another way, wasn't there?

I'm not just going to let them destroy the Ultimate Despair- if the Ultimate Despair can evolve from normal high-school students, there must be a way to turn that despair into hope to thrive on.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might ask where Aoi is, and let's say... think about the Dangan Ronpa Satan and Aoi's cheery personality.


	25. Fragile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Warriors of Hope are broken, and Masaru doesn't know what to do.

**_Blood still stains long after he cleans himself up._ **

" _Get out punk! Why don't you move yer skinny little ass and get me some alcohol, huh, brat?!"_  

_He still tried to smile._

His father beat him, over and over, pain scorching his skin, just as hot as the fire that fueled his very personality, scars ripped down the side of his forearms, darker in contrast to his tan skin, yet he didn't yelp out loud, he never yelped out loud. 

_"I'm sure yer defective! Stop smilin', will ya?!"_

Soon, he became numb to the aches in his skin, to the pain in his heart, but when he met her, when onee-chan offered them another chance at life just before the joint-suicide, he let open the gates again, just so he could hurt, just so he could love, just so he could _feel._

She died. 

She vanished from his existence, she hurt him just like he had feared, yet on the outside, he still pretended that he was okay with it, that all he was going to do was win in vain, _but it still hurt._

Monaca, innocent little Monaca. 

A back-stabber, no less. Her compassion was fake. Everything was about her was fake. Her flaws. Her weaknesses. Her strengths. 

She was a puppet-master, and the four of them were puppets, only puppets to be used, only puppets to dance upon bodies and ages of bloodshed. 

Everything started to hurt again. 

_**Help me.** _

The aftermath of the wreckage revealed the pain of them all, having been hurt too many times by her. There was not only knives in their back, but daggers, speaks, axes, arrows, everything that could hurt them. 

People said that actions are louder then words, but words can hurt more then actions. The truth? They would destroy you, both of them, from the inside out. 

When they recovered, dragging themselves from the rubble and wandering the street, streaked in dirt, but those couldn't hide the mental scars that were evident in their eyes and expression, in the way they held themselves. 

Sometimes, Kotoko would hear her trigger word, in reality and in her dreams, and she would wake up in tears, screaming, crying, shaking, and the other three comforted her. A hand on hers, one on her shoulder, and Masaru gave her his headphones, despite not being connected to music of any kind, yet the bulky object seemed to calm her a bit. 

Jataro still hated himself, but his mask was gone, abandoned, just like the four of their souls were. He didn't react as badly as some of they did to objects that reminded of them of their past. 

For Nagisa, he would freeze up every single time he saw a needle or a wire, and there were times when he didn't get sleep, and that would remind him of his past and he would refuse to sleep except for small bursts maybe two or three times a day of about half an hour naps. 

Kotoko was set off on the slightest thing, you even mention the word 'hope' or 'gentle', she would either go into sadist mode, which was scathing on everyone's end (Even Nagisa disappeared for two days after she dealt some nasty insults towards him), or full-on sob mode. 

Him?

Masaru was just another kid with an abusive father. And now he abused himself with self-harm. Not with blades, no. 

He forced himself to go to the bar and just sit in, inhaling the disgusting smell of alcohol and cigarettes, the very same smell that used to dominate his father's household before Masaru had killed him. 

They were all monsters.

They killed their own parents, and enjoyed it. 

_**M o n s t e r s** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was something I wrote at 5 in the morning. Yay. Angst. i love angst yeah I'm tired bye


	26. Loss [Akahiko]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akane's hurt over Nekomaru's death, and Fuyuhiko's aware of the signs of grief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm doing rarepairs, so request what you will! First up is... Akahiko! I'm actually trash for this ship after Kuzupeko. I'm not sure what might be next, but it could be Sakura X Leon, Kazuichi X Mahiru, or Peko x Gundam.

Nekomaru was dead.

That was the cold reality that rested on Akane's shoulders, freezing-to-touch nails digging into the tan skin. 

Almost everyone noticed it. Hajime risked her a pitiful glance as he passed by her at breakfast, noticing the lack of food of her plate. Sonia refused to even look at her, which was understandable- Gundam had been at cause for Nekomaru's death, and she was the closest to Gundam.

Kazuichi squeaked when she threw him a glare at his attempt to get close to her, pulling his beanie over his head with the mutter of 'Sorry'. Chiaki sat down next to her, but didn't look at her as her fingers flew over buttons, rapidly clicking and tapping. Nagito... Nagito was Nagito. 

"There is no need to-"

"Shut up, or I'm gonna punch your face in."

Chiaki paused in her game, but didn't look up. "Is that... really necessary...?"

"Sure it is," Nagito said with a laugh. "After all, if she wants to put out all her anger on me from his death-"

"Shut up!"

Akane was standing in seconds, hands curled into fists with her lip also curled at Nagito. "Why don't'cha just drop it?!" 

"Ah, yes. I'm terribly sorry," Nagito backed away. but his smile was still in place, and the urge to knock it off his very jaw was unbelievably strong. 

"Yo, Akane." 

A hand rested on her shoulder, and she whipped around to meet face-to-face with the only other person she hadn't seen so far- Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu.

"What do you want?"

He snorted at her tone. "God, you look and sound like you're gonna fucking kill someone. Never thought you'd break before him."

With his free hand, he flicked it towards Nagito, who now had their back turned to them and discussing something in a low tone of voice to Hajime. 

"Leave me alone," Akane mumbled, the words slurring together as she tore her gaze away from him and sat back down. 

Fuyuhiko sighed, and Akane could hear footsteps fading away from her. 

_He's gone._

Resting her head on her forearms, Akane inhaled, then exhaled. The only person that she really respected here, her coach, none of the less, was gone. He was dead, murdered. He took a blow from a bazooka just fine, but couldn't win against Gundam Tanaka. 

There was a clack as a plate was slammed down in front of her.

Akane lifted her head, pools of dark brown staring into irises of olive-gold. Fuyuhiko didn't back down, his front tooth ground into his bottom lip.

"... What?"

"That," he said, gesturing towards her almost empty plate with a flick of his hand, "is what I call a measly amount of food." 

"So? Problem?"

Fuyuhiko sighed, his shoulders slumping. "God, you're so fuckin' dense. Eat it."

With that, the plate skidded across the table, slowing to a stop before the tan girl, who merely looked down at me, not in any mood to eat, and she wasn't going to be for quite a while. 

Wordlessly, she allowed her fingernails to drag down the table, dead cells raking against the wooden surface as the yakuza across from her winced, the movement audible but visible. 

"No."

"Owari."

"No."

_"Akane!"_

"I said no!"

"Akane Owari! For fuck's sake, I'm not just going to let you go through this alone, all right?! So suck it up and eat!"

The said girl froze, her dark gaze, furious and murky, slowly dragging itself from across the table to stare at him. "Wh..."

"Those days I had in the hospital..." Scoffing, the boy leaned on his knuckles, although the emotion and grief was seeable in the tiredness of his face and the steel of his eye. "I rather not let anyone go through that on their own." 

Speechless, her mouth stolen of any insult, comeback, or statement that Akane could generate, mouth slightly open, the gymnast let her eyes drift back down to the food he had pushed in front of her. 

"C'mon. Eat."

Akane obliged. 

Fuyuhiko smiled- it might have been small, but it was a smile nonetheless, as he didn't want to watch as this girl suffer on her own at the weakness she believed that she had, just like the mindset he had dragged himself into during his time at the hospital. 


	27. Why a Murderer?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Why did you do it...?"

  **"I did it for my own life!"** He screamed, voice hoarse and echoing. **"Come on, you gotta help me!"** Yet his words fell on deaf ears, dead ears, ears that refuse to listen to this _murderer_ as cold metal met his neck and yanked him backwards.

 **"I did it for my brother,"** he muttered, eyes downcast before he allowed Monokuma to take him away. One final look behind his shoulder told him that his other brother was breaking. 

 **"I did it for my dream,"** she was smiling, hands folded across her chest with elegance. Lies, lies, lies. Why was she lying to her own heart? Her dream... did that belong to her or Taeko Yasuhiro? **"I even fooled my own heart."**

 **"I did it for peace,"** her note read as her body rested upon the bench, face in a peaceful smile with her eyes closed and the poison bottle dropped to the floor. 

 **"I did it for despair!"** She was also smiling, hand rested on her hip with the cock of her lips, while red fingernails curved over the button that sat just beside her throne.

* * *

 **"I did it for my mother!"** His screams bounced off the walls of the trial room, staring across the room to rest on the white-haired boy with an oddity of a smile, with his hands slid into his pocket, with an easy-going expression. **"Where's my mother?!"**

  **"I did it for justice,"** she had once said, but now as her identity started to crumble, the truth started to lurk and tease at the boundaries of her shadow. **"I did it for my young master,"** she finally admitted, and he screamed.

 **"I did it for my beloved!"** The girl crooned, saliva curling off the corner of her mouth as her hands dug into her hair. **"What a pity... you don't know what it's like to be loved... I feel sorry for you."** She was still grinning and cooing to herself as she was sent off to her death.

 **"I did it for no reason,"** he had lied, the words fluttering off the lips, but his unspoken message shone through like the sun's light through the sky.He had lied, the words fluttering off the lips, but his unspoken message shone through like the sun's light through the sky. **"I did it for everyone."**

_"Why'd you do it...?"_

The girl smiled. **"I did it for hope. So did he."**

 

 

 


	29. "People Change, Ma'am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to write Ishisaba.

It's been one, nearly two months since they awoke from the Neo World Program. Absently, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu swiped a finger across the screen, a rather bored look on his expression. Sure, therapy was fun in all (he could hear the sarcasm in his head), but it didn't really help when you didn't talk. 

Fuyuhiko had not spoken a word since he had awoken. All attempts usually fell flat and on deaf ears- between Hajime's pleading and Miaya's weird-ass Usami, which really creeped him out (more than the one in the simulation, for some odd reason), Fuyuhiko was unbelievably tired.

He held an E-Book in his hands- it held memories at his very fingertips, as it did not only hold information much like the one in the simulation, but contacts to other Future Foundation members

Tapping Makoto's icon once, which read 'away' in light orange letters, he quickly started his text, then ended it in a few words.

**Going out for a walk.**

That was not supposed to be allowed, of course- but he didn't care. It had been ages since he went outside- even before the Neo World Program. Makoto would probably not see it until later, and by that time, Fuyuhiko would be back.

Placing the handbook on the table with a gentleness he did not know he possessed, Fuyuhiko stood, his actions slow and deliberate as he checked the window, rather tentatively pulling back the curtains to check the street, which had been eaten by the darkness, but he did not mind. 

Walking out in the hallway, he passed by Akane, who had a loaf of bread in her mouth, muttering a greeting to him around the bread, to which he only nodded too- like every other day.

It would always be like that. While Fuyuhiko did want to voice his opinion from time to time, it was as if his mouth did not want to speak, as if it was scared of the scars that rested on his tongue. Scars of the past, a past he did not want to remember. 

He passed no one after that, and that was how he liked it. With his hands in his pockets, a trench coat pulled over his shoulders, his eyepatch, and his fedora, he felt comfortable with going outside. 

Sure, he'd be the _edgiest_ person out there at the moment, but he really gave little to no care. 

At the thought of an edgy person, Fuyuhiko thought of the supposed 'Dark Lord', Gundam Tanaka, and suddenly everything hurt again- _you can't ever bring them back._

People kept telling him- yeah, life goes on- but he couldn't just forget the wounds that had been carved into his heart. 

It was raining when the former despair remnant stepped outside, but Fuyuhiko only lifted his head to stare at the sky, which descended upon him as if it wanted to take him away. Not many people were outside- some hobbled by with umbrellas, others called out for the other person as they ran, still drenched. 

Cold took hold of his shoulders, but Fuyuhiko paid it no attention, merely tugging at the rim of his fedora and lowering his gaze to the ground. 

A noise cut through the drenching rain.

A cry of a baby.

Eye searching side to side, Fuyuhiko walked with a lookout for the cries... when he turned into the alleyway. 

The baby wailed, throwing its' little fists around. "Mammaaaaa! Mamaaaaaa!" 

With a dead expression, one of gloom and despair that washed over his eye, Fuyuhiko reached out with a scarred hand to brush against the top of the baby's head, which was topped with a small lining of blonde fuzz. 

_Look at you... lost and confused, like me. But in a different way._

What spurred him on to take the baby rather carefully in his arms... he did not know. The next thing the Kuzuryuu knew, was that he was walking down the street with the baby cradled against his chest, hidden from the rain by the cloth of the trench coat that was draped over it. 

The baby had stopped calling out for its' parents, instead snuggled against the chest of the former yakuza, face quite content with the situation. 

With a light sigh, and the slight shift of the cloth so that he himself wouldn't get too wet either, Fuyuhiko went upon his way, ears sharp for any calls. 

"Misaki! Misaki!" 

_There we go._

Turning towards the voice, he could catch sight of the figure, dressed in shades of a dull blue and grey, running around in panic, hands cupped over their mouth as they dashed from street to street, still quite visible as they reached the street, whose's pavement he was standing on. 

Waving a hand, Fuyuhiko managed to catch the woman's attention. It was hard not being able to speak sometimes, as many unnecessary things he had to do were time-consuming and often irritating, but it didn't seem to be the case here. 

As she made eye contact with him, her eyes were drawn to his chest, and the woman gasped. "My baby! My precious Misaki!" 

She was completely soaked, which made Fuyuhiko hesitate to give Misaki to her, but as he passed the baby over to her, she flinched and stepped away, with unbelievable speed. 

"You're..." 

Cradling Misaki closer to her chest, the woman's eyes widened with her. "What did you do to her?"

He arched an eyebrow. 

"Y-You're the Remnant of Despair, aren't you?! One of them, in the very least! What did you do to Misaki? Poison her? Teach her your terrible ways?!" 

Fuyuhiko was about to start with shaking his head, but a motherfuckin' _fist_ flew out of nowhere, colliding squarely with his jaw and sending the mute flying backwards. 

"Oi!" The man roared- probably the father of Misaki. His back hit the pavement, and for a moment, Fuyuhiko just laid there, one eye staring at the sky with an amount of pure hopelessness in his gaze, before the bark of the father brought him back to reality. "What are you gonna do? Fight me? I'd like to see you try."

The yakuza slowly sat up, and for a moment- just a moment- he could see the father flinch. Wiping the back of his hand across his face, Fuyuhiko brought the fist away from his face, examining the dark red blood that now tainted his skin. 

Rather than blow up, he calmly transferred his gaze to the man. 

Misaki started crying, and the mother shushed her, trying her best to get the girl to calm down. 

As he stood, on trembling legs, he walked towards Misaki.

"S-Stay away! You're the yakuza, right? Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu?" 

A nod. 

Her eyes grew even colder than before, brittle, shattered pieces of broken glass of grey. "You better stay away from my daughter!" 

Misaki started wailing even louder. 

"Shhh, baby-"

With one glance at the tall, buff man (who's stature reminded him much of Gozu's, someone of Future Foundation who he respected to a certain agree much like he did Nekomaru in the simulation), Fuyuhiko held up his two hands, implying no harm and took a few steps towards the mother and her daughter. 

As he reached for the baby, the woman whipped away, her gaze terrifying. 

He did not doubt the power of a mother's love. Of someone who was very overprotective of someone close to them... he had felt it many times. 

Yet, as Fuyuhiko gave her a strange look, she slowly brought Misaki, still whining and wailing, out, rivers of rain casading down her face, like it would wash down the cracks in the road. 

Very carefully, he brushed the tips of his fingers against the baby's head. Through her tears, the baby threw her fists out- and _smiled._  

... it was a feeling to behold. 

Fuyuhiko found his own lips twitching up, a light twinke to his single eye.

"I... I thought you were heartless. I thought you would do anything to achieve despair. You- you wrecked the world for it. Brought it down to its' knees, and treated it like a game," she whispered.

Fingers digging into his fedora, the remnant of despair brought the hat to rest over his heart, revealing the mess of blonde hair (which he really should get trimmed).

In a hoarse voice, he spoke, for the first time since they had left the simulation (it was actually longer then that, since he did not speak during the simulation- no one did). "People change, ma'am." 

With that, he placed the hat back over his head, turned his back on the couple and their daughter, and disappeared into the waterfall of what the clouds brought on Earth. 

> _You always had a kind heart, Young Master._


	30. you are my reason to die;;

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All four of them died for another's sake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) I included my lovely fedora uncle  
> 2) Spoilers for episode eight and beyond.  
> 3) I am still very salty

_I did it for her._

That's why he doesn't mind her killing him. 

That's why he doesn't mind that poison was ruining his body, just focusing on her as she kisses him for the last time, pulling away with tears streaming down her face, blue eyes glistening as she looks up at him, at this person who she had just sent to his death. 

That's why he doesn't mind, as he savours the marble-like sweet in his mouth, pulling her close in another kiss.

That's why he doesn't mind the inability to suddenly move his fingers. 

_It's okay. I love you, Ruruka._

That's why he doesn't mind. Sonosuke Izayoi crumbles to the floor with salt on his lips. 

 -

_I... did it for both her and him._

That's why he doesn't mind as a cold numbness starts to spread over his left side, the bridge to pain starting to grow cold with frost until all he can feel was a mind-shattering cold touch of death. 

That's why he doesn't mind, as he pummels to his death, that he is going to die. 

That's why he doesn't mind that he wasn't able to save her all those times that he had fired at Hope's Peak Academy, since he had saved her here.

That's why he doesn't mind when his right arm shattered upon hitting the ground.

_I fulfilled my promise, Jin._

That's why he doesn't mind. Koichi Kizakura finally allows his body, mind, and soul to go to rest. 

-

_I did it for him._

That's why she doesn't mind, spending these last few moments with him. he glances at her bracelet another moment, relishing in this final, last moments that she would be able to spend time with these two, these two she had survived another mutual killing game with. The third person is someone she had not met before, yet she has both a wary sense of danger towards him and slight respect. 

That's why she doesn't mind that she's watching him: he's laughing, a blush highlighting his cheeks, and she doesn't mind that she would die in the next few minutes since the timer was ticking down. 

That's why she doesn't mind showing her scarred hands, moving it to rest over his own, and she can feel the exhale and inhale he has to take, yet she still speaks without a doubt in her mind that she would die. 

That's why she doesn't mind: she's quick to glance for a monitor beforehand, he should be fine. She's a liar, but she has a weapon... her own mind. As long as he doesn't know, he would survive. 

_No matter what happens, don't give up on hope. I'll always be on your side._

That's why she doesn't mind, but he was going to lose her. 

That's why she doesn't mind when their bracelets jingle.

That's why she doesn't mind. Kyouko Kirigiri sinks to the ground... she knows she's going to close her eyes and never open them again. 

-

_I did it for him._

That's why he doesn't mind that the blade that man used to hold was the same blade that had sliced through his torso and that man left him to die.

That's why he doesn't mind, as the clatter of his footsteps ring throughout the hall, abandoning him, leaving him to bleed out. 

That's why he doesn't mind as he cuts into his own arm, hacking off his own wrist to get rid of that _goddamn_ bracelet, blood freely flowing as he ties his jacket over the stump that used to be his own left hand, giving one last disgusted look towards the bleeding limb on the floor. 

That's why he doesn't mind when he finds Makoto Naegi, who's in such a state of despair, glinting knife held up to his chest- or was it his throat, he could hardly see since his vision was unbelievably blurry...? His fist flies without another word, without a bracelet to restrain what he does best, and after a discussion, they part ways.

That's why he doesn't mind the agonizing limping, and he finds the control room. Using the last ounce of his strength, he yanks each lever. 

_Even if he abandoned me... I still want him to live._

That's why he doesn't mind. Juzo Sakakura lets out one, last breath and dies with a smile on his face. 

 

 

 


	31. Reveal (Sakuleon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> omg this ship is so cute;; here ya go, MrAwesomeMatty.

Sakura felt a wound over her heart.

Kenshiro had died a few days before.

The normally calm and reserved fighter had waves of gloom coming off her- you could see it in her eyes and posture, no matter how much she took a deep breath and held it back.

"Yo, uh, Sakura!"

"Leon-kun," Sakura greeted in response.

The two had become rather close- both had their soft sides, and several playings on the piano that revealed Sakura's talent in doing so, and... it just seemed to click.

Sakura now almost spent as much time with Leon as she did Aoi, if not more.

"Hey," he greeted, jogging beside her.

Sakura looked over her shoulder at him, looking carefully at the awkward bounce in his step, the way his head tilted often side to side to make the tufts of his hair cover his cheeks- which were... more flushed than usual.

"Did you need something of me?"

The baseball all-star looked up at her, blue irises flashing in concern.

"... yo, look, I know there's something wrong..."

She stiffened, the motion evident in the tenseness of her shoulders. "Nonsense, Leon-kun. I believe you're worrying for no reason."

"Sakura."

"I assure you."

"Sakura!"

"I wish that I won't have to repeat myself, Leon-kun-"

_"Sakura!"_

His words were sharp, more forceful and uneasy than anything she had heard before.

"I... I don't want you to go through this alone. And I don't want to drop this on you either, but-"

"Leon."

All politeness from her voice dropped as she faced away from him.

"Both men and woman alike go through hardships. It is a test of mental strength, yes, but also apart of who you are. I lost someone who was my boyfriend, and yes, someone as strong as me can have one, and that is a thousand words of pain in one motion, swiftly delivered to my heart."

Hurt flashed in Leon's eyes when she mentioned boyfriend, but the redhead recovered quickly, stepping up to her.

He was a good deal shorter than her, yes, but Leon refused to back down.

"Shit's gonna happen, Sakura. And I ain't lettin' anyone go through it on their own. Sakura, please."

"Since when did you ask permission?" was Sakura's reply, her reply sharp and bitter for someone as wise as her. It was mumbled, but Leon ignored it all the same.

_"Do you think I want to let the woman I love to hurt this badly on her own?"_

Time passed awkwardly after that.

Distance was put in between them.

Sakura was confused.

No... no one loved someone like her. She was a walking hurricane, not her herself, but her talent could bring anyone to their knees, physically or mentally. A hitman may come and take her away at any moment, and she didn't want to hurt him that way.

She didn't want to hurt Leon anymore.

But wouldn't...

... it hurt more if she stayed away from him?

The fighter was thinking deeply when the rec room door opened, calls of the upperclassmen from the 77th class echoing throughout the hall.

"Oh, uh, you're here- I'll- Sorry- I'll leave now."

He never apologized, no matter what.

Leon never apologized.

"Leon-kun, wait."

He froze half-way through the door, slowly turning to that his eyes met hers, and Sakura stood up, facing him.

"I apologize for what happened."

"There's no need, Oogami. I can move on, it's not too hard."

He lifted his shoulders in a casual shrug, and while Sakura was used to people referring to her by her last name, getting it from him hurt.

_I don't want you to move on._

Now, Sakura wasn't a needy person.

But she needed someone to love.

"I'd like to say something."

Leon's eyes hardened. "Maybe I don't care!"

Sakura blinked slowly.

"My words were not meant to wound you. Scars are shown, not only through the telltale marks of the body, but someone's actions and what they say. While yes, my words will probably hurt you forever, I want to erase that."

This seemed to interest Leon, even in the slightest, and the redhead turned, his head cocked attentively to listen to her.

"I... I am willing to..."

Sakura swiped her hands across her cheeks, knowing how this strange this was, it wasn't much like her.

"Try this relationship."

Thus, things went from there.

Leon was affectionate, and Sakura was fine with that. It was the smallest of things- like a creep up from behind when they were on a couch before allowing his arms to ret on her shoulders as he rubbed his cheek against her cheek.

Sometimes he would slip his hand into Sakura's, fingers wrapping around and weaving around hers, his smooth palm against her rough one.

He played with her hair a lot, something to do with his hands while he complimented her.

All this time, Sakura Oogami fell deeper and deeper in love with Leon Kuwata, and they were both fine with that exact fact.

With Leon resting against her shoulder, torso stretched across her lap with his head in the crook of her neck, Sakura enjoyed the warmth coming off of him.

Leon shifted, breath tickling against her neck as he spoke.

"Yo, should we tell the class soon?"

Blinking, the white-haired student cocked her head. While her time with Aoi had decreased- not greatly, but she didn't spend as much time with her as she did beforehand, both of them still had not told the class of their romantic relationship.

"Perhaps that is the best idea," she agreed. "What do you propose?"

"I dunno," Leon shrugged, shoulder rubbing against her collarbone. "S'not like I'm one for plans. You should probs doing the talking."

"Yes, I should," she agreed with the incline of her head. "Do not worry, I will take care of this."

Leon smiled, the real smile he didn't just flash to the fangirls. It was the one that showed his teeth, yes, but his eyes crinkled and almost became fractured and fragmented, like diamonds. There was a slight dimple in either cheek.

Pressing one light kiss to the underside of her jaw, he hummed, "I was enjoyin' cuddling before we   
brought this up. Can we return?"

"Yeah," there was a smile to Sakura's words. "Let us return."

"You're such a softie and I love it like I love you~"

The day came quickly.

Sakura had requested for several days to think up her 'speech' of sorts, even alerting the prefect of the class, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, that she had something to say.

"Get it over with as quick as possible," Byakuya Togami spoke, looking over at her over his glasses. "I have better things to do."

Aoi Asahina set her hands on her hips, puffing out her cheeks as she looked at the Togami heir.

"Don't be rude! Listen to what Sakura-chan has to say!"

"N-No one is i-i-interested in w-w-what a m-m-monstrous o-o-ogre has t-to sa-say...!"

Aoi frowned at Touko Fukawa. "Don't call her an ogre!"

"Hina, that's enough- it is not what I wish to discuss today."

With that, Aoi nodded at her to continue.

Sakura was aware that she had quite a bit of eyes watching her- her reserved personality got her the respect of almost everyone in the class, including people like the delinquents Mondo Oowada and her own boyfriend, Leon Kuwata.

"I have an announcement for you all." Sakura crossed her arms over her chest as she started to speak.

Mondo's gaze drifted towards her, narrowed in curiosity.

"While this has been going on for several weeks- perhaps over a month, we decided that the best way to address this-"

_Leon. Leon, why?_

The baseball all-star swung his way forward, wrapping his arms around her waist as he went up to press a light place against her cheek.

"Hi, sweetheart~" he almost sang.

The room erupted into confusion.

It wasn't necessarily _hate,_ but instead pure disbelief and murmurings.

"Eh? Kuwata-kun?" Aoi set her gaze on Leon, blue eyes fiery. "Don't you dare push her aside for one of your fangirls! Sakura-chan deserves the best in the world!"

"No worries," Leon brushed it off with a laugh.

Kyouko Kirigiri said nothing, just tilting her head to the side in acknowledgment with her chin resting on the back of her hand.

"I do hope this relationship will not get in the way of your performance, Oogami-san!" Kiyotaka bellowed. "As for Kuwata-kun, I'm still expecting a great deal of work from you! Perhaps she will rub off on you!"

"Relax," Mondo told him. "No need to get'cha nickers in a knot over what's-his-face."

"C-C-Congrats, Oogami-san," Chihiro Fujisaki stuttered out from besides Sakura. The fighter turned to face her, reaching out with a tanned hand to ruffle their head lightly. 

"Thank you, my dear." 

Murmurings ran through the class, and across the classroom, Sakura and Leon shared a smile. 


	32. Three Times [Naegiri]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked for happy Naegiri! Here you are, I hope it's enough!

The very **first time** Makoto Naegi and Kyouko Kirigiri kissed was in that small moment when they had left the academy, leaving a mass of dead bodies- bodies of their friend, their classmates.

"Naegi-kun," someone prompted. 

Makoto snapped out of his daze, allowing the water bottle he clutched in his hands to fall to the ground. Immediately, he raised his hands up in apology. "A-Ah! Sorry, Kirigiri-san!" 

"I'm fine with Kyouko." 

That seemed to caught his attention. The lucky student lowered his hands. "But..." 

"Anyone of this group can call me Kyouko if they wish. I believe we've gone through the experience that qualifies for you to call me Kyouko." 

"All right..." 

Makoto absently rubbed his thumb across his knuckles, debating his next move. His muscles were tensed, a fluttery feeling in his stomach.

Ever since she had saved him after his 'execution'... those feelings had become more and more intense to the point where if she even touched him, he had to leave the room due to his jumping heart. 

Carefully, Kyouko sat down next to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her take off the silver-embedded gloves that usually covered her hands, revealing the burnt and scarred skin below.

She had been only uncomfortable in the slightest when she had taken off the gloves back at one of the trials, but she seemed to do it without fear now. 

"They're ugly, I know." 

"I wasn't thinking that!" Makoto protested. 

A small smile seemed to curve her lips. Distant, cold, but a smile nonetheless. 

Silence ensured between them, both of the two thinking. Makoto thinking of his new title, the Ultimate Hope. While he had saved the rest of them from falling into Junko's trap... he had failed to save her. To save either of them. To save Mukuro or Junko. Both had spiraled down the wrong path. What good was his title when he couldn't put any use to it? 

"Naegi." 

Upon hearing his name, Makoto turned his head towards her, and his heart immediately exploded in his chest. 

Their noses bumped, but that didn't stop Makoto from forgetting the touch of marble-like, smooth lips against his own. Almost instantly, his face blew up in a wave of heat, unable to move. 

He sat there, gaping like a fish until Kyouko pulled away, turning her face away so that he could only see her profile, purple eyes glittering in thought.

"A-Ah... K-Kiri- Kyouko... um..."

"That was a test," was her response. 

"A-A test?!" 

"Yes. I... hm."

Her eyes darted to him, and Makoto swore that he could see hints of a smirk on her face. 

"How interesting."

The **second time** was a truth or dare with Aoi Asahina and some other Future Foundation members. Koichi was drunk, which was probably the only reason why he joined in. Chisa did it for fun. Sonosuke did it only because Ruruka was interested in how 'steely' the new Future Foundation member were.

~~They survived a killing game, how weak did you think they were?~~

"Naegi-kun!" Aoi clapped her hands together excitedly. "Truth or dare?" 

"Um, t-"

"Do dare already," Ruruka complained. "Wimp. Me and Yoi-chan should go already!" 

"Yoi-chan and I," Kyouko corrected calmly. 

"I'll do dare, then," Makoto muttered.

Aoi placed her fingertips together, as if thinking deeply. "Hmmmmm..."

Her cerulean eyes lit up. "Oh! Kiss Kyouko-chan!"

 "Yer kidzzies and romance nowwiedays," Koichi slurred. Ruruka gave him a harsh look and resumed to combing her fingers through Sonosuke's hair. 

Makoto swiped a hand across his cheek, red scrawls making their appearance as his mind flashed back to the day where she did kiss him, lips cool against his own, and felt light-headed. 

"W-Well, can I change my-" 

"Nope!" 

Chisa looked over at them in curiosity, a mischievous grin on her lips. 

"But-"

"Get it over with, Naegi-kun." 

Hesitantly, Makoto leaned over to press a light kiss on her cheek, but Kyouko tilted her head towards him in a millisecond, and all he can think of is her. 

His fingertips seemed to have it's own heartbeat, and he could feel it thrum under the skin of his fingers, pounding as sparks raced in Makoto's veins. As fire crawled around his face, Makoto's hand involuntarily raised to cup her cheek. 

"Whoa, whoa, I didn't ask for a full make-out session!" 

At those words, Makoto jerked back, coughing awkwardly and averting his eyes from the former detective. 

"Well," Kyouko closed her eyes. "I believe it is Naegi-kun's turn to ask someone the desired option?" 

The **third time** was when _she was okay._

"You may want to look behind you," was Kyosuke's parting words, inclining his head to gesture behind Makoto. 

The luckster, scratched, exhausted, and smiling at the former student council president, caught glimpse of his other classmate's expression.

Aoi, one of relief. 

Touko, one of surprise.

Byakuya, one of 'I knew you'd come back, cockroach'. 

Makoto turned.

She was standing there. 

_She's okay._

_She's okay._

_She's okay._

Something burned behind Makoto's eyes in an instant. 

Shoes pounded on the ground as he threw himself over to her.

"Kyouko!" 

_Why did you sacrifice yourself for my survival?_

Makoto expected her to feel fragile under the impact of his hug. Burying his face into his hair, Makoto couldn't think of anything besides the sheet of lavender-purple that filled his mind.

"You're okay," he breathed.

"Yes, I am. I'm fine." 

He had missed that smooth voice of her so much. His hands slid down to her wrists, holding them tenderly, with the gentleness that he had always possessed. 

And he effortlessly closed the distance between their faces without a second thought. 

Kyouko kissed back.

_I love you and I don't ever want to lose you again._


	33. Soldier [Mukuro Ikusaba]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the following few chapters will be 100-200 word one shots that I wrote in my notebook in under five minutes each. I'm typing this while I work on Soudabuki.

**_D e s p a i r._ **

I hear the echo of Junko's whisper in my ear, My sister, a talented, analytic girl in contrast to me- dull, unflattering, and only worth the protection I give people. 

I am a soldier. Not only a soldier, but a puppet. Junko pulls all the strings, she's the one that tugs on the fine, thin wires of fate as if she controlled and created this world. 

I do not want to fail my sister. Junko is my everything. I belong to Junko. She controls me. Everything is for Junko.

Yet I feel the bonds of my heart slip and loosen as each fleeting day passes.

I am...

Mukuro Ikusaba. A soldier. A puppet. 


	34. I Did It {Kyochisa]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the things in my notebook~ spoilers for Future/Despair!!

Kyosuke didn't know what to do. Jaw locked, he shifted through the set of pictures he had found just under the curve of her hair.

Chisa smiling. Chisa caught mid-laugh.

A phantom ache in his scarred eye.

Rather than taking care of his eye, he had returned to Chisa Yukizome's body- blood smears all over her face, eyes closed with Great Gozu's jacket resting on her chest.

He dropped the pictures- all but two.

One showed Chisa and Kyosuke standing in an abandoned area, Chisa kneeling and crying into her hands. It wasn't hard to identify the body sheets around her, covering the corpses. 

He dropped that picture too. Purposefully.

The last had Chisa smiling, but with the bodies still behind her, with the red lettering of 'It was me. I did it. ♥︎'. 

_Why did it have to be you?_

_Why was I so blind?_


	35. A Dead Man [Koichi Kizakura]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another thing from my notebook. Could be counted as Kizajin. (that stuff is cute).

**[TEXT] [CHAT]**

KKKoichi: yioo what uo  
GreGozu: Kizakura youre drunk again.   
KKKoichi: nah gozu imfine  
Tengan: go to sleep, kizakura.   
KKKoichi: cool nighy

**[KKKoichi has left the chat]**   
**[KKKoichi entered a private chat with Jin Kirigiri]**

KKKoichi: I broke my promise Jin.  
KKKoichi: You always told me to stop drinking  
KKKoichi: all my problem awat  
KKKochi: away*   
KKKoichi: sorry  
KKKoichi: look at me being pathetic  
KKKoichi: expecting you to reply  
KKKoichi: or at least have that little message thing that says youve read it  
KKKoichi: If i had come sooner  
KKoichi: maybe you'd reply.   
KKKoichi: .  
KKKoichi: Kyouko's grown up  
KKKoichi: I'll  
KKKoichi: I'll keep my promise.   
KKKoichi: Hope its all good in afterlife. Heaven must be good for you.  
KKKoichi: But you all only a dead man.   
KKKoichi: A dead man is all you are.  
KKKoichi: Bye, Jin. 

**[CHAT HAS BEEN DELETED]**


	36. Frostbitten Noses [Soudabuki]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked for Soudabuki! Hope you enjoy~!And I also hope this is all right and sorry that it took so long to get out!

Ibuki loved the snow. She loved anything, really. Loud noises, running, her classmates, having fun, spending time with her classmates, music, her hair, trying out new styles, being unique. "Do you like snow? Huh, huh? Ibuki loooooves snow!" 

"Snow's okay... I guess..." The gamer didn't seem fazed at all but the sudden flinging of Ibuki's arms around her, fingers still rapidly tapping away at her game console buttons. 

"C'mon! C'mon! Do you know where Sensei is? Yahooooooooooooo! SENSEI IS SUPER COOOOLIO!" 

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu scoffed and looked over at the overexcited musician, only giving one look outside, where trickles of snow floated down smoothly from the skies. "Chill, Mioda. Jesus christ!"

"No worries, Fuyuhiko-chan!" Ibuki's voice rose by the second. "I'm gonna be per-fect-ly chill when I go outside! Yup, yup! Super-duper, amazingly chill, yeah?" 

"You're going to freeze, motherfucker!" The yakuza replied.

Ibuki's attention swerved away from him, finding Fuyuhiko not enough for her attention when the person that she was interested in walked in. 

"So, like-" Kazuichi Souda's features visibly fell upon seeing Sonia Nevermind pays attention to someone else; to be precise, Gundam Tanaka. Immediately, the mechanic tried to gain her attention, but to no avail. 

"Kazu-channnnn!" 

Kazuichi was one of the few classmates with a nickname; Ibuki liked shortening his name. Kazu. Kazu was cute, just like Ibuki Mioda was! 

"M-Mioda!" 

The musician flung her arms around Kazuchi's neck, rubbing her cheek against his almost affectionately. "Ibuki missed you!" 

By now, it was pretty obvious that Ibuki liked Kazuichi- most of the class knew it. The musician was just too open with her feelings. Kazuichi had an inkling of the idea, but he hadn't quite grasped it yet. 

As he felt the nuzzle of her cheek, the pink-haired teenager's cheeks flared and reddened considerably, reaching up with one hand to yank his beanie down to cover his eyes. "O-Oi!" 

"What?" She laughed in response. 

Chiaki didn't look up from her video game. "Perhaps Souda-kun likes you... I think. I haven't passed any of the dating simulations yet... would that be a good path or bad path if he blushes... how many options do you have...?" 

"Kyyyyaaaah! That's soooooo moe!" Ibuki laughed in response to Kazuichi's blushing. 

When Chisa Yukizome entered the room, she was wearing her maid dress under a pair of gloves, a hat, and a thick scarf, as well as a furry jacket. 

"All right, kids! We're going outside!"

"Since when?" Sonia clapped her hands together. "The wonders of snow must be great to behold! We very rarely got it in my country!" 

"I am sure that your power will only increase tenfold under the trinkets of power that fall from the skies, my Dark Queen," Gundam rumbled, tugging up his scarf instantly. "Speak, headmaster of this class! Why have you obtained my holy scarf, but in an altered version?" 

"It's a fucking scarf, Tanaka," Fuyuhiko snapped towards him.

Ibuki could feel Kazuichi visibly deflate with Gundam's comment, probably the 'my Dark Queen'.

"Why is it that... that weirdo is close to her?" He mumbled.

"No worries, Kazu-chan! Ibuki still loves you!" 

 "Because of scarfs, duh," Chisa replied, settling her hands on her hips, waggling one finger at Gundam. "And you, mister, are already prepared! So let's go outside!" 

"None of us are prepared," Peko Pekoyama said smoothly. "Our clothes are in our dorms. Do you wish for us to go get them, or go outside as we are now?" 

"I'mma go outside like this!" Akane yelled. "Ain't no snow gettin' the best of me!" 

With that, the gymnast ran out of the classroom, assumingly down the hallway outside. 

"OWARI!" Nekomaru yelled, following after her. 

"Everyone's going outside!" Chisa said firmly. 

Ibuki grinned over at Kazuichi as she 'detached' from him, giving him a wink and a peace-sign. "Kazu-chan, do you wanna do a snowball fight? We can fight against Gundam-chan!" 

Kazuichi puffed out his cheeks, one shark-like tooth digging into his lip. "Yeah, I gotta get back at Tanaka... he can't just call Miss Sonia _that_..." 

For one of the first times in her life, something hurtful coursed through her chest, and Ibuki knew why. 

Can you just please stop talking about Sonia-chan...? 

The musician flew out of the classroom to go get her things. 

"Have you seriously not noticed that she likes you...? Perhaps she wants to push it until you get down and dirt-"

_"H-HANAMURA!"_

 The next time Ibuki and Kazuichi met up, outside, the former chucked a snowball at his face.

Kazuichi howled, falling back of his butt as one hand cupped his nose, freckles of pure ice scattering across his face. "Wha- What was tha' for?" He spluttered. 

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" Ibuki yowled, picking up a handful of what she liked to call 'cotton-snow', which was the snow that was light and stuck together- powdery. Throwing it at the back of Mahiru Koizumi's head, she immediately ran off in Kazuichi's direction.

"Kazu-chan! Kazu-chan! Ibuki's sorry! I was aiming for Fuyuhiko-chan!" She apologized. 

"S'not like you meant it," the mechanic muttered, still cupping his face. "G-Gah, my nose burns..."

Hot-pink eyes peered out behind a black beanie, staring at Gundam.

As the area dissolved into a snowball fight, Ibuki tugged Kazuichi over to a statue. "Over here! Commander Ibuki is going to go to war while her prince stays behind!" 

Kazuichi let out a snort, accidentally missing the 'prince' comment. "Deliver a good whack of snow to the face of Tanaka for me, will ya?" 

 "Offfff course!" Ibuki cheered, about to turn to shoot off when Kazuichi reached out to touch her shoulder.

There were no words between the two. Just pure understanding.

Then Kazuichi broke the ice and smiled. "Go kick some ass." 

"Aye, sir!"

As she raced off, Kazuichi watched her retreating back with a smile. 

It was a good deal into the day when everyone of Class 77 seemed to pass out in the snow, either speaking in a quiet tone to others or just lying there, the area dissolving into soft murmurs. 

Ibuki had plopped net to Kazuichi, who was currently rocking back and forth trying to pull his beanie lower on his face. 

"Kazu-chan, are you all right?"

Kazuichi lifted his beanie slightly, the tip of his nose peeking out- flushed in roses of red. 

"Awww, you have a cold nose!" Ibuki giggled, and in one smooth motion, leaned over to press a light kiss to the tip of Kazuichi's nose.

He immediately squeaked, nearly flinching back, but oddly allured by the warmth of her lips. 

Something crazy went off in his chest, and Kazuichi couldn't catch the words that flew off his lips. 

 _"Again."_  


	37. Just That Feeling [Kamunami]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize that this took so long to get out!! I've been in a bad mood lately so I apologize if this isn't up to par.

_Yes, Hinata-kun... go on, create our future..._

"So you're the one that made this unpredictable." 

Chiaki Nanami turns, morganite eyes widening in the slightest at the sight of the dark-haired man, red eyes peering, glassy and unblinking, out of the abyss of his hair. 

"You're.... Kamukura-kun, right...? The main boss of the game... level 100 while Hinata-kun and the rest of our classmates are on lower levels..."

Izuru Kamukura gives her a small nod, watching her every movement with the cock of his head. 

"I suppose so." 

Chiaki's gaze flits back to where she's watching the five remaining survivors of the Neo World Problem fight. 

"How are you so kind to everyone?"

It seems out of character, even for him. But when her eyes flick to the side, he's regarding her with curiosity alight in his eyes, as if it was something he had never addressed before.

"Everything pretty has a dark side. People's minds and the beasts behind the masks aren't pretty. So why are you?" 

Smiling, the gamer turns around to face him. 

He's staring at her with a more complex expression now- not the one wiped clean of all his emotions, but the one that represented Izuru Kamukura as his own person; a person with his own heart and mind to explore with. 

"Hm... that's a good question..."

"You kept trying when you knew you would fail. You knew that you would not come out of this simulation alive, yet you fought and pushed them on until the very end. Why?" 

_He's so much different, now._

"Because I don't want them to forget me." 

She remembers that time, all the way back. That time where spears had gotten her, when her first 'game over' had flashed across her mind.

She remembers him standing there, impassive gaze on her as Izuru towered over it. 

"This is yours." 

Izuru extends a hand, and in his smooth palm, a single clip rests there, a pixeled ship with blue and red lining the edges. 

Upon seeing it, Chiaki's eyes light up, reaching for it. 

"Ah, there's my clip! Thank you, Kamukura-kun!" 

As her hand rests over his, Chiaki is about to pull away to fasten her clip back into her hair, but she lets her hand rest over his for a moment.

_It's warm..._

 


	38. Tell Me You're Okay [Fuyuhiko x Reader]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doubts surface after the destruction of the world, and Fuyuhiko knows that it's his fault.

He hates looking at his reflection.

The evidence of it is all there, fingernails dark despite the crusted blood having washed off of it long ago, the slit that runs from his temple, down across his right eye, and ends at the curve of his cheek... 

Fuyuhiko wanted to shatter the mirror. His hair's cut short, cropped hairs pressed against his skull, but he wants to rip it all out, make him pay for all the things that he's done. Why had he survived...? In all senses, he should have been the one to die in the simulation... but no, Hajime's new talent saved them all. He rather

His hair's cut short, cropped hairs pressed against his skull, but he wants to rip it all out, make him pay for all the things that he's done. Why had he survived...? In all senses, he should have been the one to die in the simulation... but no, Hajime's new talent saved them all. He rather

Why had he survived...? In all senses, he should have been the one to die in the simulation... but no, Hajime's new talent saved them all. He rather

In all senses, he should have been the one to die in the simulation... but no, Hajime's new talent saved them all. He rather rot away in a pod then bear with his existence. The

The click-click of footsteps. Immediately, Fuyuhiko straightens, moving away from the bathroom in hopes of them not seeing him.

Immediately, Fuyuhiko straightens, moving away from the bathroom in hopes of them not seeing him. But they do see him in the bathroom mirror, (e/c) eyes widening. The guilt in the former yakuza's face told it all.

"Fuyuhiko." 

"What?"

The reply comes out harsher than what he had intended, lips peeling back in a half-snarl. What he always did, the coward. His own way of defending himself; and it's snapping back. 

(y/n) peers at him, reaching out to brush their fingers along his jawline. 

Their eyes drift past Fuyuhiko, looking at the open cabinet of medicines. 

"... Fuyuhiko. Fuyuhiko, Fuyuhiko... listen to me, it's not your fault."

"That's not true," Fuyuhiko hisses out, voice borderlining a growl. "It is my fault. Not all of it, but it's still my fuckin' fault. I helped Enoshittyma, and if I wasn't there, Peko wouldn't be there, and they wouldn't have the entire Kuzuryuu Clan, and-"

They bring his face close to theirs, resting their forehead upon his. Cool breath billows over Fuyuhiko's cheeks, and he inhales, sucking in their scent. So comforting. So loving. 

(y/n), when he felt that he didn't exist, when he didn't _want_ to exist, had brought him back. 

"I love you," they breathe. "It's all going to be okay. We'll come back. You may be a Remnant, but you're also a yakuza. You're Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu- my Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu.

They leave a lingering touch on his lips, and Fuyuhiko can't express how much he loves them at the moment, so this is all he says.

"I love you, (y/n) Kuzuryuu."

His words leave with an unsaid emotion, or rather, an unsaid

 **t h** a n **k y o u**

 


	39. Pretty Little Rockstar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M ALIVE I SWEAR.

Everything's dark when her mind flickers awake. 

Something's false inside the enclosed area she's in. Is it the air? The aura? The scent...? 

Or maybe it's _her_. 

Everything in her body seems off, incorrect, erroneous, false. 

Carefully, she raises a hand to press against the flat surface above her. Her fingernails are coated with the color of blood rather than the black nail polish she remembers. 

Her head hurts. Her neck burns, and good grief, does it _ache_. 

Carefully, the woman cranes her neck to the side. There's a glow of blue, a hazy green twirling lazily around the cords of metal that wind down either side. They glint silver, but there's no reflection. 

A click. The surface above her disappears, and the woman finds herself squinting, her eyes scrunch up and, for a moment, her head goes blank.

"Ibuki? Ibuki Mioda, can you hear me?" 

_IBUKI MIODA?_

_“"I," "Buki," "Mio," "Da!" Put it together and what do you get? Ibuki Mioda!”_  
  
_“Oh no! This present's giving Ibuki a hard case of the feels!”_

 _“No worries! On this stage, what's important is not your performance skill, but your heart!”_  
  
_“Feeling the rhythm of running is a necessary way of training if you want to learn about the correct music theory. Even music has proper grammar. A song that's made in accordance with music theory will definitely make you feel good when you hear it, so.. It'll be easier to awaken people's emotion!”_

_“Man, I'm getting hellaaaaaa stoooked! I'm thirty-one flavors of stoked for all of this deliciousness!”_

_“So...no matter what happens from this point forward, never ever give up. It's a promise!”_

_What... is this?_

_What... are those memories?_

She's confused, more than ever. Her name? It's probably Ibuki Mioda, but _who is she?_

Her eyes fall on a pair of eyes- two different colors, but the warmth in them are the same, they're equal to one another. They're laced with a sense of skepticism, but when she looks at him, the eyes lighten.

"Ibuki? Can you hear me?" 

The voice pulses in her ears- louder, louder than what she expected. Her throat still hurts. 

Lips part, but nothing passes them. When she does, fire seems to leap up her throat, and one hand flies to touch where her neck is, only to meet scarred and torn flesh. 

And then the memories start.

_"AREN'T YOU A REMNANT OF DESPAIR FULL OF FUN?!"_

_"Stop this. Pl... please don't hurt... my family... I'm begging you...!"_

**_It's no fun if Ibuki's bored, is it...?_ **

Every blood cell in her body freezes up. 

The man in front of her takes a step closer, eyes widening. 

"Ibuki, please respond," he says quietly.

_Please don't call Ib... me by that name._

She's shaking. Her entire frame is trembling, even the slightest wind could blow her over like a leaf and she would be gone. 

A hand runs along her palm, almost out of reassurance. Fingers clutch at the hand, nails of the bloody, goddamn color that disgusted her so much despite only seeing it for several minutes, clawing at the skin.

The man steps closer. A single name burns out in her mind- _but it's not a single name._

Hajime Hinata.

Izuru Kamukura. 

Almost as if sensing her thoughts, he smiles, but the smile is laced with something uncertain in it's roots. 

She runs her fingers across his open palm, done in a way to reassure herself. She's still trembling. Fingers quiver when she lifts them from skin, and she lifts her gaze to meet his.

There's four other people by the door. She recognizes them in a way that she recognizes Hajime Hinata. 

Something's running down her cheeks- the print of a cool kiss. She doesn't notice the water until the droplet falls from her cheek.

And the dam that held back all of what's Ibuki Mioda breaks. 


	40. Broken Birdie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's gotten his lips sewn shut but his heart can't stop singing songs of tragedy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> would this be counted a gorey   
> I dunno

His goddess.

His lady, his arc, his pillar, his world, his sky, his night, his body, _his_.

She should all be his. 

She's his lifeline, and he knows it. She knows it when red nails trickle across his chin, when they stroke his jawline, his cheekbones. His heart blossoms in his chest, a flower blooming to life, but not the innocent kind, no. 

It's the type of flower that signifies utmost loyalty, that he would smash his heart against broken stone and shatter it without a second thought if she asked him for it. 

It's the type of flower that has blood tainting it's petals, staining a dark heart even darker. 

"Hmmmm... Ah, you're fond of your words, no...?"

The words come out in a drawl, and as he's kneeling at her throne, where she lounges upon like the goddess she is, the woman traces her fingernails over the curve of his lips. For a moment, she stares them down before her face splits open in a wicked smile, one that pulls at the corners of his face and bears it like the devil would. 

"What if we were to take that away?" 

She yanks at his chin roughly, as if to try and snap his neck, but he rises before she has to the chance to do it fully. His form is stark and bold, a shadow that falls upon her, but once she stands from her throne, she's the one with the most attention. She's the one that stands out in the darkness.

He is all but another vessel for her to use, a vessel that she can dispose of at any point in time. Everything is hers. She is his everything. 

He takes notice of the glint in her hands, and when the cold print of the blade is placed upon the curve of his lips, he doesn't flinch. He bears a paper crown of a king, but once before his empress, it goes up in ashes. 

He is but a doll in the shadow of Enoshima Junko.

"Tanaka Gundam..." 

She hums, dragging the blade with a light touch down the side of his lip. The skin splits open with such careful precision, and he can already feel his words being cut up. 

If she wishes him to stop speaking, so be it. The king wields his words similar to one that brandishes a sword, full of pride. Maggots eat away at his heart, there's no point in saving a burning city that rests inside his body. 

Poison leaks within his veins, a river of all that this world was destined to be. A wasteland that could do nothing outside of destroying lives, bit by bit. 

"Aren't you my darling little pet?"

Her words hiss near his near, with the voice in harmony to a snake of undying beauty. One finger eases down his jawline, pushing down with force to open his mouth.

"Wouldn't a twisted tongue be fun to speak with?" 


	41. Rip Your Name From My Throat [Beta! Nagito Komaeda]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, he hated seeing them together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so... I rip Beta! Nagito Komaeda now. His name is Kashii Komaeda, and there are a lot of triggers in terms of what can induce panic attacks when it comes to his character. Just a fair warning! also more gore cuz... yeah yeah yeah

 

He hates seeing them together.

One hand reaches up to pull at the curve of the black fabric that lays, clumped together, around his neck. Glove-clad fingers pinch the fabric as it pulls the fabric over a mess of white hair, while the other runs across the zipper that is in front of the man's mouth.

He clicks his tongue against his teeth, keeping his eyes down, but Kashii Komaeda can still hear sweet murmurings even from his distance away from the couple.

Koko Nanami's fingers intertwine with Haru Hinata's, and the black-haired male brings Koko close to his side, only to press his lips in a print of a kiss against the top of her ear.

"Gh...!"

He hates the anger that shudders against his veins so brittle. In that moment, he knows he wants to die in the most painful way possible- suicide has lurked at the corners of his mind for ages now. Enoshima still hasn't reply to his ask towards her strangling him, but the cold image of her wicked smile splitting her face is burnt into his head.

Kashii makes sure to turn away, the glint of his glasses harsh against the lights that fall upon them.

His organs should be split open, tore from where they reside in his body. His skin should peel from his bones, scorched, puckered, scarred, destroyed. His eyes should be cut into, with straws of blood steaming down from his sockets.

He deserves to die.

Kashii walks the path of sorrows, almost scarily so.

As his heart roars in his chest, a call of those who cannot stand anymore, the Komaeda hurries along, keeping his hood up to cover his eyes. He knows that he looks odd- a error in this world of life, walking with his head bent and dark hood raised.

"Heeeeeeeeyyy! Komaeda-kun!"

The voice is sickening, and he doesn't pause for he knows the voice. It's grating gears in his brain, it's something, even in his mind, that he despises more than he does himself.

Kashii turns, raises a pencil-thin eyebrow, and sighs. Angling his body towards the new arrival, his jaw parts as he starts to speak.

"Enoshima-san, kill me."

"Hm~? Where's the fun in that? I stoop low, Komaeda-kun, but not that low."

At the sight of her red nails, an image flashes in his mind, of those same red nails digging into his throat, choking him, killing him.

His mind doesn't upturn at that thought, but he smiles. Perhaps, if she actually accepts his offer, he will die at such honorable hands, at hands who are the most worthy at all.

Cold trickles in through his blood, and someone must have poured ice water down his back, because all he can feel is endless cold despite the sun beating down on his back.

"But where's the fun in that~?" He mocks, instilling a fake tone into his voice. "Shouldn't you kill me, Enoshima-san? Any way you'd like."

"Tempting," she replies, and that smile. Again.

It chills every being of Kashii, watching it spread from the corner of her face to the other. Despite the maggots that rot every thought that pass through his head, there's nothing more ill than watching her.

Without a word, she whips out a knife. It's a small one, but one nonetheless. The blade presses against the curve of her palm, flat against her skin.

"I was watching you eyeing Nanami-chan and Hinata-kun," she starts.

Immediately, his breath catches.

"Soooo~ which one is it, you stank?" Enoshima laughs. "You fell for one of them, didn't you?"

Both of them, he's tempted to answer. But he sews his lips shut, and resumes staring. His eyes drift to the knife in her hand, and it's tempting, oh-so-tempting to grab her wrist and make sure that it rips across his neck.

"I'll tell you if you stab me~"

His voice is sing-a-song, and cool irises become flat, dead, and lifeless.

"I welcome all pain, Enoshima-san. I need to achieve absolute pain, and if it's through someone as superficial as you, so be it."

He needs to distract her. Distract her from Koko and Haru. His heart beats for them, the stupid thing, as much Kashii boasts that his only meaning to life is pain.

Pain's purpose has been shoved aside, replaced by the desire to protect those his heart, the pulsing, idiotic thing, longs for.

"Awwww, that's cute..."

She giggles, pressing a finger to her lips.

"That is, if it wasn't said by a filthy dishrag."

Kashii's eye twitched, watching the blade.

"So, Komaeda-kun~ say, if I offered a method to break them apart, will you take it?"

"They're happier together," he responds, tugging at his hood again. "Now, if you won't hurt me, I'll be going."

Immediately, a crack rings out.

Kashii can't feel anything in his hand when it happens, and dead eyes, like speared fish, stare at the obviously twisted index finger on his left hand.

Slowly, his face lifts into a smile.

Pain is his drug, something that allows him to breathe and live. It's one of the few things he can feel- anger hardly itches at his heart, happiness only comes from someone drawing his blood or breaking his bones. Sadness is a meager part of his body.

He drinks his own poison, for he has crafted it himself- his goal to achieve absolute pain.

Kashii knows that he's bent on it. It's become harder growing up, for his tolerance increased by tenfold and people grow up. They become more mature, less prone to lashing out.

Of course, there are those who enjoy inflicting pain on others.

Kashii tries to move his finger for a moment. It's a blob in his nerve system, for he can't feel any pain.

"Break my other ones."

Enoshima pops her fingers one by one, eyeing the twisted finger. "Aw... I wanted to rip it off your hand. Guess I'm not in the position to do it yet."

Her gaze brightens in a haze, eyes lifting to roam Kashii's face. "Hmmm, maybe next I should put a collar on you and then rip out your teeth one by one~"

He presses a print of perfection in form of a theater smile to his own lips. "Will you now? Certainly, the experience would be delightful by your own hands."

Her canines make an appearance, and Kashii turns to leave.

"That being said, have a lovely day, Enoshima-san."

Enoshima doesn't reply.

Razor-sharp irises drill into Kashii's back, yet he doesn't allow it to phase him. Instead, he carries on, vanishing into the shadows of the alleyway.

_Pain is the worse type of drug, after all._

The smile slips off his face.

I _s it really_?


	42. Three Times [Kuzupeko]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People liked my 'Three Times' with Naegiri, so I'm doing it with Kuzupeko.

Three times. Three times they kissed. 

The **first time** was when they were young, when Peko was still learning, when his Clan was still pushing the imprint of her being a tool into her brain. But that didn't stop him from befriending her, that didn't stop him from liking her. That didn't stop her from making him happy.

It was minutes before New Year's, where everyone around the pair was drunk (almost everyone, at least). Fuyuhiko's own father had more than four shots by now, his usually demeaning voice slurred with thickness. 

"Peko-chan... this makes... me... uncomfortable..." The young boy inched towards her. In response, she placed a hand around his shoulder, pulling him closer. 

"I will protect you," she said with determination in her eyes. "That is... the tool's job, after all. Right...?"

Fuyuhiko frowned, placing his own pudgy hand over hers. "Peko-chan, you're no tool to me..."

"But I am a tool for your clan."

Her gaze flicked away from him, the ending line of their conversation. The time was still ticking down, now a minute left.

"... y'know, they do this weird thing at midnight... like, they... kiss each other. It's really weird," he screwed up his face, scrunching up his nose and furrowing his brow. 

"A... kiss?"

"Yeah. They connect lips and they like it, I guess? So I was thinking that we could try or somethin'."

Peko shook her head. "I'm not fit for that, master. You, out of all people, know that I am not human, but someone without feelings."

He frowned, his gaze skimming the adults around them, jumping from person to person.

"They won't notice, Peko-chan. Just try it, y'know?"

Red eyes fastened onto the clock ticking down. Fifteen seconds left.

"It'll be quick, I promise! Please? For me?"

Peko closed her eyes, letting her thoughts roll around in her mind for several seconds before they opened, inked full with worry. "I... If you wish, master. Just be mindful of the world around you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Peko let her eyes flutter shut once more, and by the roar around her, the time had counted down. 

Something pressed against her lips. And just like that, it was gone.

"Aw, gross! That was disgusting!" Fuyuhiko exclaimed, rubbing at his mouth. "Why do those dumb adults do that anyway?! Yuck, yuck, yuck! I'm never kissing someone again!"

Peko, not at all phrased, merely blinked, lifting her fingers to press against her lips, trying to ignore the fluttering in her chest. 

"... oh."

"Why do people do that? Ew!" 

With that, the young gangster stomped away, with the cool eyes of his tool fastened on his back.

The **second time** was when he was alive and she wasn't. 

They had moved all of the comatose students to hospital beds, having hooked them up to oxygen machines to provide what their breaths could not. 

All five of the survivors from the Neo World Program were constantly in and out, but Fuyuhiko was there most of all. He stuck to the side of someone he couldn't forget even if he had his body stripped of his skin- Peko.

His Peko. 

She seemed to almost fade into the paleness of the sheets, with her translucent skin and silvery hair, but it hurt. It hurt seeing her so close, so close but in another universe. 

Fuyuhiko sat on a small chair next to her bed. it was the tiniest of chairs, with small engravings along the sides, a light tan against the brown. The only color in this room, for this hospital room had been bleached of color- all there was, was white, metallic, and black. 

In his right eye socket, the scarred tissue throbbed, close to someone that had partook in such hideous attacks. She had suffered as much as him, if not more. She was the tool out of the two of them, one who had locked her heart away without the slightest hesitation when she grabbed at the idea of despair. She finally had use under despair, in her eyes.

A chill ran its' fingers along his jawline.

_"You're mine, Kuzuryuu. You, your suffering, your heart, your blood, your kills. Mine."_

Junko whispered in his ear.

_Stop. Stop. Please stop...!_

Under the reign of Junko, he used her as his tool, and she embraced the metal cage around her freedom. 

Standing abruptly from the chair, Fuyuhiko was about to step towards the door. He was about to flee for the door.

"Stop... Stop, stop, stop, fuckin'... stop it...!"

In his hands, he clutched at her skin, digging his fingernails into the pale flesh. It left red marks behind, just like the blood, just like Natsumi's death, just like the pool that had gathered underneath Sato's body, just like Peko's eyes, just like the glassy reflection of all of their eyes. 

Red, red, red. The _**goddamn** _ color. 

Fuyuhiko stared down at the sleeping and frozen face of his childhood friend. It was relaxed, having been frozen at the moment of relaxing into the pods. A face that would never enjoy herself again without feeling

P A I N.

 His gaze flicked to her face again- but this time, it lingered on her lips. 

There was one time they had kissed, and goddammit would he take anything to have it again if it meant replaying the memories of the world before it fell to hell. 

He wished, oh, he wished that her eyes would open- they would be glassy, as Hajime's once was (could they even call him by that name anymore?), glassy and red and bloody and confused and the expression of someone who destroyed the world. 

He remembered a tale, a story that Peko had once told both Natsumi and him when they were young to try and calm then. Sleeping Beauty, apparently- some shit story. At least, he had thought so at the time.

The princess had fallen asleep due to a prick of a wheel, and the prince's kiss had woken her from her sleep.

Now it was Peko who had frozen in a coma, due to the blades that had pierced her body in the simulation, and the chance that she would wake up was little to none. 

Fuyuhiko leaned over, now only centimeters away from her face. 

_Good fucking god, she's perfect._

_Shut up, Fuyuhiko!_

He let his face fall a bit, just to bump lips slightly with hers. When he jerked up again, face flushing in the heat of the moment, Fuyuhiko eyed her face for a fleeting moment, hoping, waiting.

Nothing.

 _Idiot_ , he cursed quietly.  Why did he think that worked?

She wasn't going to wake up, she wasn't going to wake up, she wasn't going to wake up, she wasn't going to wake up. SHE WASN'T GOING TO WAKE UP, SHE WASN'T GOING TO WAKE UP, SHE WASN'T GOING TO WAKE UP!

_**STOP LYING TO YOURSELF, DAMMIT!** _

_**SHE'S** _

_**NOT** _

_**COMING** _

_**BACK!** _

The **third** time was when he couldn't restrain his feelings anymore. It was years after the world had fallen in tragedy. Peko was twenty-four, and Fuyuhiko was twenty-three, the year caught between their birthdays; it was July.

"... Fuyuhiko?"

It had been long since she had stopped calling him Young Master, but it had taken a lot of effort and time to adjust the basis from 'Kuzuryuu' to just Fuyuhiko. 

He had changed. She had changed. They had changed. 

The former SHSL yakuza sat on the rift of the beach- just at the edge, his shoes off so that he could dip them into the water. 

Jabberwock Island was no different except for slight changes- they had no place to sleep until they decided to take on their own course of action- they built cottages, cottages that were the same to how they were in the simulation, when all of them had still been here. 

The statue on the center island was now replaced with a Future Foundation building, and all the gates had been removed to grant them access to the rest of the islands. 

All sixteen of them were never in the same place. It was as if they couldn't be in the same place. Mikan and Ibuki were always on the third island although they refused to see each other.

Or, more likely, Ibuki refused to look at her. 

Fuyuhiko kept more on the first island than anything- he had never left from it, not even once. 

There was the rustling of sand shifting next to him, and Fuyuhiko had to turn his face entirely so that his blind side didn't stop him from seeing her. 

"... do ya need something?" He asked heavily. 

Peko ran her fingers through the crystal sand, watching it clog underneath her jagged fingernails. There was a story in her eyes, a wall, something protected. 

"... the world is being hidden from us."

"Or the other way around, y'know."

Her eyes strayed to meet his- glassy buttons of red, polished and refined. The color of the blood that had been spilled in the streets. 

"... how long are we going to dwell on what we've done in the past."

A sharp silence. Something snapped in the air. 

"No, that's not it. It's the fact that we can't show our fucking faces to the world because of what we've done. I mean, look at us. Look at me, look at you. We're murderers. You used to call yourself a tool. Now look at you. We've changed, but that doesn't mean the world won't treat us like assholes and something that's... fuckin' broken or some shit."

His former self started to leak through, but a hand on his stopped him.

"... Fuyuhiko... please stop. Stop doing this to yourself."

His one working eye, a blaze of gold, burned fiercely in his eye, drowning in self-hate and resentment. But when they glanced down at the pale hand that covered his freckled one, it transformed into something more alien, more confused. 

Why was she like this?

Why did she do things that made him fall in fucking love without him controlling it? Why is it that his heart had no limits and kept getting crazier in his chest, despite all the times he told it to _stop?_

One eye darted to look at hers directly. He was taller now, that was obvious. Rather than being shorter, his eye-sight was just level with hers. 

He had changed. She had changed. They had changed. 

"... Peko, can I... ask ya somethin'?"

She blinked, cocking her head. The warmth by his hands disappeared, being been pulled back into her own lap. "Yes?"

 "Can I... uh..."

_Fuck._

She was right there, in front of his fingertips. With him. With him, unlike in the simulation, where every passing day was a reminder that he could only remember her. 

"Kiss you."

For a moment, he was lost in her eyes. Emotions came together in a single blink before shattering apart, a whirlwind and vortex of complexity, and before he knew it, _he was there and she was there_ , and _good god_ , his heart was on fire. 

There was nothing restrained here- for a moment, they were vulnerable to one another. Fuyuhiko didn't care about the ways their noses bumped or how his hands constantly skipped from place to place only to root themselves in her hair, but their hearts beat in a synchronized pattern, closer than ever. 

_Oh my fuckin' god, I love you so much._


	43. you're falling with me. [komahina]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata's not one for laser tag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> non-despair au!!! also this is komahina. a very odd. komahina...! I should do other things for pride month... I'm thinking about doing trans Saihara. What do you guys think?

"Hiiiiiinataaaaaaa, you enjoyed some laser-tag like, way back when. Jus' sayin'."

Hajme heaves the pack of his shoulder. Something plastic digs into his shoulder, heavy and lingering. He nearly stumbled due to the weight when the worker had dropped the pack onto his shoulders, but, at the time, Kazuichi helped him. Now, the mechanic stands with a sharp grin, hands on his hips and watching him struggle.

"I was nine," Hajime responds, lifting the straps around his shoulders with a single finger, then looking at it experimentally. "I was nine, an idiot, and a kid that couldn't shut up."

Kazuichi flinches, then pouts, crossing his arms across his chest. He's not in his jumpsuit, which looks a little strange to Hajime, but it finally gives his eyes a break from the straining yellow, which is nice. Instead, he's dressed in a tight-fitting white shirt and slacks, with the bulky gear standing stark against the color of his shirt. 

"Well, yeah, c'mon, dude, it's my birthday party," Kazuichi scrunches up his nose. "Either way, you loved it last time you played laser tag."

He doesn't respond, instead looking around.

There are two reasons why Hajime doesn't want to be here. One, obviously, is the fact that laser tag's childish- although, the numbers of either team say otherwise. There's about little more then twenty people in this room, some of which are completely unfamiliar to Hajime, and others which he's only seen glimpses of. Apparently, some of them here are apart Kazuichi's class. Almost all of them came here. As strange as Kazuichi is, his class treated him decently. Much more decently then others from his friend's childhood. 

Of course, there's not only Kazuichi's class. Apparently, there was other people here as well. A small amount, but a group nonetheless. 

Two, the only person he knows there outside of Kazuichi is Nanami Chiaki, who taps her gear quietly. He can't read her lips but she's mumbling to herself as she checks the heavy pack and the gun that's attached to it. There's some people he doesn't even want to look at in fear of triggering their temper; more specifically the short but threatening boy that lingers in the corner, arms crossed over his chest. 

"C'mon. I think everyone's just 'bout ready."

Kazuichi runs his hands over the front of the gear, marveling it and exploring it with the touch of his hands. With his shoulder, Hajime nudges him, then jerks his chin to the front of the room. A tall guy with long hair seems to be handing out the last of the packs, fitting the last one over someone who Hajime can't even see over and towers over the rest. 

The room falls into darkness when the tall man hits a switch along the side, but the white things in the room glow. He remembers this from the last time he played, when he had a fascination of how the whites of his eyes and teeth glowed, but now, Hajime merely tucks his arms across the bulky gear, then uncrosses them.

Next to him, Kazuichi looks like a light-bulb.

"Welcome to Laser Tag," the man says, his hands fiddling with the remote control that he grips tightly. The screen above him lights up with a rotating model of the thing everyone wears- the laser tag gear. "In case you haven't played before, there's two teams. Red and Blue, which is told by the color of your gear." Another click of the button.

Everyone's gears light up, with the orb of light on their torso. Hajime looks down at the red highlight in the middle of the pack, then spares a look at Kazuichi, who also has a circle of red in the square of his chest. In the room, conversation ripples as people check out one another. Hajime doesn't even look around for other people on the red team because he doesn't care.

"So, basically, you guys have an hour to rack up as many points as possible. Points are obtained by hitting the gear on the shoulders, where the straps are, chest, or back. You aim your gun and pull the trigger to shoot. If you get shot, your light turns off for about fifteen seconds, and you can't use your gun for five seconds after you get shot."

On the screen, the model spins, the shoulder straps, chest, and back lighting up yellow.

"Your team can lose points by accidentally shooting one another, or multiple traps laid throughout the maze. The game will be split in two, with a ten minute break in the middle. So you're here for an hour and ten minutes, basically. Uhh... you can't take off your packs during the game, don't go open any doors outside of the doors labeled with 'exit', which are there if someone needs to leave. When the music starts, the game starts."

The door that Hajime hadn't noticed previously opened. In contrast to the instructing worker, the man's short and sturdily-built, and stands with his posture straight and formal in the doorway.

"Uhhh... Nagito's team, the blue team, you guys go first. At the end of the game, we'll have statistics for everyone."

Everyone with a pulsing cobalt blue light moves, making their way around the others of the red team. The person in front wears an easy-going smile, with pale eyes, skin, and hair that glows in the room. Chiaki's among them.

Hajime sweeps a quick hand across his chest again and covers the red light momentarily, and the entire room is thick. There's mumbles here and there due to socialization between others, but he doesn't join them and instead watches the door again.

When they enter the maze, it would probably be alive with smoke, smog, lights, and the smell of spirit. Again, it's been a while since he's even thought of what it was like to play laser tag when he was nine, but all he remembers is adrenaline, with childish excitement and the sound of beating feet against his ears. 

On the screen above the door, Hajime can vaguely make out the maze with smoke and colors, blaring lights flashing through the white smoke to make it red or green or something. He can see black walls, stairs, the floor speckled with colors, and people wandering around the walls experimentally, still cluttered in the group. 

"Oh, yeah," the taller instructor is still there (the shorter one went in with the other team) fiddles with the remote controller again, antsy fingers dancing and tapping across the slim surface. "Uhhh... you guys will get about five or so minutes to introduce yourselves to one another. There's like... nine or ten of you on each team."

Just as he says that, an arm hooks around Hajime's neck, and he finds himself stumbling along, trapped against Kazuichi's wiry arm and him yapping off in the brunet's ear. Yeah, Kazuichi's his friend, but that doesn't mean he can just drag him off like that. 

"Hey! Hey! Mioda! Mioda!"

Oh god no. He's heard about the wild girl, with her blazing horns of color and voice that shakes most people to the core. He claws at Kazuichi's forearm in response, digging fingernails into the skin, but Kazuichi only lets out a hiss and looks down at him, to which Hajime averts his eyes and busies himself with looking at Kazuichi's orange socks (really?). 

Everyone around him is smart enough to wear somewhat dark clothes but Kazuichi stands out like a beacon- and so does this girl. She's dressed in white clothes probably, so standing next to them makes Hajime want to go blind instead of look at them for another second. When Mioda turns her gaze on him, pink eyes alight with fire, he's on the verge of backing away. She opens her mouth, a screech of words starting-

Thankfully, the instructor beckons the red team to the door. "Kazuichi's team, please."

The maze is silent up until the rest of the team filters in, and suddenly the lights are flashing and _ow,_ they're about as bright as Kazuichi's fashion sense. When his friend leads them down a hallway with green paint flowered all across the floor and stops right in front a staircase that's constantly showered in yellow light, he can clearly see him bounce on the balls of his feet. Hajime moves so that he doesn't blind himself. 

"Uhh, so, uh, hi, I'm Kazuichi, the best in mechanic in the city," the pink-haired man boasts, jerking a thumb to his chest. He's confident, Hajime notes as he notices Kazuichi winking at one of the girls. Maybe he'll notice the protective person standing right next to that girl. "'m pretty rad on the field."

Hajime notices people's eyes on him. "Hajime."

Next is the girl that Kazuichi had dragged himself over to earlier, Mioda, who spins excitedly as she shines. "Mioda Ibuki, here to knock off your socks! And shirt! And pants! She's got the talent to do just that, yup yup yup!"

No wonder why he's friends with her, Hajime thinks. She suits him.

"Kuzuryuu," the boy crosses his arms. Although he's shorter than Hajime by a decent amount, the aura around him scares him half to death (like, jesus christ). 

"Fuyuhiko," Kazuichi amends, then makes his way around Ibuki and nudges him. In response, Fuyuhiko nails him with an elbow in the gut (he has easy access to it) and the glowing shirt of Kazuichi's creases as he leans over, groaning. 

Fuyuhiko doesn't look like an open guy, but Hajime guesses that he's a classmate, with the way they act around one another. Hopefully Fuyuhiko isn't as unapproachable as he seems, because Hajime senses that he's going to see more of him, with the way Kazuichi's eyes twinkle at the sight of him. Like he's a bit lovestruck. 

"I'm Asahina Aoi, but you guys can call me Hina!" The girl that the mechanic had winked at earlier when he had introduced himself lifts one hand in a wave. She seems more bubbly then the rest (maybe excluding Ibuki), with blue eyes that sparkle brightly in the darkness of the maze. "This is Sakura-chan!"

"Greetings."

The soft rumble makes Hajime almost flinch, and it scares Kazuichi more. His friend yelps, pedals backwards, then digs his nails into Hajime's shoulder. In response, he spares his friend a look. 

"I am Oogami Sakura."

"Sakura-chan," Aoi nods, beaming up at the other with a smile.

With a start, Hajime realizes that Sakura's a _girl_ \- a girl that could snap his spine and every bone in his body if she wanted to, it looks like. 

The rest of them go around in a circle- quickly, because Fuyuhiko mentions something about the game starting soon.

There's a girl who looks like she can murder him as easily as Sakura can, blending easily into the background if not for the red light in her chest and the harshness of her eyes, which matched the blinking light of her gear. Her name's Peko, apparently. Then there's this guy- Makoto- that stands out as much as Hajime does- not at all. Last but not least is the guy that towers over everyone from earlier- he's about as tall as Sakura. According to Kazuichi, that's another one of his classmates (so is Peko), Nekomaru.

Hajime makes a note not to go near any of them.

"Uhhh, on the other team, all that I know is that there's Komaeda- you'll see 'im almost immediately since he's gonna be white and glowing, and he has this kind' wheezin' laugh because he's sick and shit. Then there's 'wari, who's like, wild and crazy. If you do see her, she'll probably shoot you as much as possible. Then there's Nanami, who's a gamer, and she's kinda like... a strategist, I guess? 'm not sure if Koizumi's there either, but if she is, so is Saionji. Saionji's too shorter for you to see, I guess. And Tanaka-" Kazuichi scowls. "Tanaka's there too. He looks like some emo. You'll recognize him."

He's heard of Tanaka before, but the lingering hate that shivers in his friend's voice surpasses Hajime. Instead, he just looks down and taps the heavy plastic gear again, eyes darting sideways. There's a light that flickers every few seconds, sending green dots scattering across the dark surface. Hajime wonders if it's one of the traps the worker mentioned. 

"The traps are the red lights," Kazuichi's bouncing on the balls of his heels again, pink-eyes glowing. Paired with the way his white shirt lit up, someone could permanently scar their eyes looking at him. "I dun' if they've changed or somethin', but that's how- shit."

The music started playing. Flashes, a holler from Kazuichi, and Hajime's running and running hard, up the stairs by two. He doesn't even think about the sneakers hitting the speckled surface, he just runs. He hopes that everyone behind him has split up or else the team's completely screwed. 

There's some pretty crap American music playing over the speakers, so Hajime scowls at the dark ceiling. "Seriously? You can't even choose good music?" His hand is resting on the gun, and he hefts it, looks at the red light on the middle of the barrel (did it even have a barrel? It's really small), then wraps his fingers firmly around the handle. Crouched behind a wall near the stairs, Hajime glances up at the rail that runs around the upper level. 

 He stands, aims the gun, and looks for a target. It's only a moment later when something on his chest vibrates and out of the corner of his eye, he can see the red light on his armor has gone out. About a minute into the game and he's already been shot. A great start. Maybe it's a better idea to work with someone and cover each other's back. 

According to the worker, his gun isn't supposed to work for five seconds. Hajime tries to pull the trigger and surprise, nothing happens. The gun just hums in his hands, but Hajime's already moving on, searching for the person who shot him. For a second, maybe even less, he can barely see something blue, but it might be the goddamned flashing lights that cause the smoke to be different colors. 

The light on his chest hasn't turned back on, so Hajime crouches again, then tries to move along the upper level. Judging by the sound of shoes on the lower floor, there was probably only one or two people around on this level. Instead, he moves along, keeping low and shuffling. In response, his back protests, but Hajime stays in the same position until he rounds a corner. By now, his chest plate thing has turned back on again, but irritation ticks through his mind.

"Hinata!" The whisper is sharp. 

"What?" Apparently, his irritation leaks through his voice as well, because Kazuichi flinches. Is he supposed to be this worked up over laser tag?

"Have you shot anyone yet? Might've hit Fuyuhiko by accident, prolly why he yelled at me."

It strikes Hajime how at easy Kazuichi is, a grin stretched tight across his lip. His shirt is hiking up for some reason, exposing some skin near the curve of his waist, but Hajime tries not to get distracted by that. This is Kazuichi's battlefield- gear, smoke, crappy music, and a land where you could hide, a land with doorways and crevices and traps. Kazuichi knows this place like the back of his hand. 

In fact, a little circle is next to Kazuichi's shoulder- just wide enough to shoot through. As he crouched, the brunet's suddenly glad that he decided to wear a dark blue shirt (courtesy of his mother) instead of blaring like a lightbulb for wearing white. 

"I haven't shot anyone," Hajime replies. "Although, I've got hit once."

"Don't be so glum," Kazuichi says. "I've 'ready hit a couple here and there! I've got yer back, Hinata."

"Thanks...?" 

He's expecting Kazuichi to yell at him, but Hajime's surprised by the happiness in his voice. Then again, the mechanic's not the threatening type: a scaredy-cat sometimes, yes, but someone who did try his hardest. 

"So all ya gotta do for me is try," Kazuichi offers him a fist. "Promise?"

"Promise." 

He grins again, shark teeth glowing, and then turns around, peeking through the hole. Gun in hand, Kazuichi seems to find his target, then shoves the gun towards the hole. There was still space for him to see around, which he uses to fire. 

Hajime, in response, experimentally aims his gun at the floor and pulls the trigger. A red dot appears on the ground and when Hajime moves the gun side to side, the dot does too. 

Kazuichi whistles from his spot. "Damn, Owari's got a good body. The gear hides it. Whoa."

Hajime's tempted to yell out to someone to turn up the music so he doesn't have to hear that, but Kazuichi chuckles, a deep noise in his throat. "Nailed it. There's one point for our team."

Hajime's not sure if he should feel disappointed in himself (Kazuichi's doing a lot better than him) or proud of his friend, but he tilts his head, looking through the hole as Kazuichi removes his gun from it. "Uhh... do you wanna cover each other's backs? Like, it's three minutes into the game-"

"Two," Kazuichi corrects, "There's a pattern to the lights. And," he flashes a grin. "That'd be aweeeeesome!"

"So... are we just going to chill out here?"

"There's a bunch'a spots around the maze that we can hide in. I know a couple spots here 'n there where we can fire without them knowin' where we are."

His back is cramping again, so Hajime straightens. In an instant, Kazuichi's gear blinks then turns off. He's hit. Whipping around, Hajime searches for a red light and finds it at the end of the hallway. Without hesitation, he aims and pulls the trigger. He can't see the dot ghosting over the gear, but a moment later, the red light goes off.

"Fiend!" The other person barks. The voice is deep; Hajime can't link it to anyone that he knows. 

"Tanaka," Kazuichi mumbles. It seems that he knows the other, but something flickers in his voice. 

Hajime can hardly identify the outline of the 'enemy', with pale skin. 

_"Tanaka's there too. He looks like some emo. You'll recognize him."_

That's what Kazuichi had said earlier. Tanaka does look almost emo, and Hajime can only identify him by the bulky outline of his gear and the paleness of his skin. 

Hajime hasn't been shot yet, but he points the gun at Tanaka again, a laser point appearing on his chest, paired with a thin stream of light. The instant Tanaka's gear would turn on, Hajime would shoot him again. There's no movement towards the other's gun, apparently the sharp glare of his eyes threatened the other enough. 

"I do not come in peace. Had I been accompanied by my fellow warriors, you would have been blown to dust!"

"Yeah, whatever," Kazuichi stands next to him, probably glowing to anyone that was looking at the upper level, but Hajime's the only one who's pack is glowing, that is, until Kazuichi's turns on again. Hajime side-glances at him, and there's something hard in Kazuichi's eyes. 

"The Dark Queen Sonia has requested that I shoot you for every time you have wronged her and her own actions."

Kazuichi's eyes flash again. Hajime keeps his gun on Tanaka's chest (no, this is not the time to think about how Tanaka's shoulders are quite broad). He's seen this look on Kazuichi before: it's hurt. Whatever Tanaka said, it stings. The look is so familiar, almost too familiar. The mechanic had looked at the bullies that had hurt him in his younger years, when he couldn't fight back. 

"Sh-Shut up, Tanaka!"

Sudden movement. Hinata's gear gets hit, but Kazuichi is already shooting, Tanaka's turned hard on his heel and sprinted away, and the brunet goes after him, sprinting. "Stay here!"

The music is pulsing in his ears, hard and unsteady, and yes, this is perfect for this. Hajime doesn't know what's overcome him, but the little thing at the back of his brain that labeled itself as Kazuichi's friend flared with overprotectiveness. Something happened between them that spikes the air with something heavy, and if this guy was a douchebag to Kazuichi, Hajime's sure as hell protecting his friend. 

"You're a warrior!" Tanaka barks over his shoulder. "Perhaps, I will draw your blood and you will beg to come to the great Tanaka Gundam's side!" 

 Hajime hefts the gun again, but he notices a single dot on the side of the wall while he's running, and he just about screeches to a stop and falls flat onto his back. " _Shit_ ," he curses.

He usually doesn't have such a foul mouth, but hell, the stupid thing hurts when it digs into his back. Hajime winces, having the breath knocked out of him, because damn, the thing hurts like hell. 

"Oh... that doesn't look too comfortable, haha... are you all right?"

Hajime opens his eyes, and is almost immediately greeted by something glowing, and he grimaces and looks to the side. The song is still the same, which means that he;s only been closing his eyes for a second, but the tiredness lurking behind his brain says otherwise. Is reality bending?

"He's on the other team," the glowing thing says. There's movement.

He groans and sits up. 

"Hinata-kun," a softer voice greets. Hajime glances over to see Chiaki, standing with her hands locked behind her back. "Are you okay...?"

"Yeah. I was just following around Tanaka," he rubs his back, a sharp ache in his ribs. 

The glowing thing (which Hajime identifies as an actual person) hasn't said anything yet, but he's standing next to Chiaki, watching him with pursed lips. Both of their gears are on, and so is Hajime's. They're on the opposite team, but haven't shot him yet. Probably pity because of how sharply Hajime fell on his back. 

"You're observant," the glowing person says. "You noticed the laser despite running after Tanaka-kun..."

Komaeda. Kazuichi said that right? That Komaeda glows because of his pale skin? And he's the one that walked out first in the room with the gear when they said Komaeda's team.

"Well, that's certainly remarkable," the white-haired male tilts his head and chuckles a bit, which sounds like he's almost wheezing or whistling through his teeth. The sound is weird to Hajime's ears, almost like he's sick or coughing, but Komaeda seems fine except for the whites of his hair, which is completely white excluding the red tint at the ends that Hajime can see due to the lighting. "Komaeda Nagito, although I doubt my name will be of much use to you, haha..."

"Hinata," Hajime says as he jams the laser tag gun into the holster near the side. It had fallen out when he fell, and he took to it as a method of distraction. "Just Hinata is fine, I guess..."

Chiaki watches him for a moment, then shoots him quietly. "... sorry... it's still a game, Hinata-kun..."

Hajime doesn't even mind at this point; he's still staring at the darkness of which Gundam disappeared into, wondering how the blinking lights, bright smoke, and color of the gear hasn't showed him where Gundam is yet. Something nudges him in the back of his mind; Kazuichi should still be where he asked the other to stay put, and Hajime's hustling, hustling, hustling.

"I can't stay for long," he says over his shoulder. "... someone like Kuzuryuu would probably think I'm betraying the team or something..."

"He would," Nagito murmurs in agreement, then laughs lightly again. It's a nice laugh, he can give Nagito that, smooth and easy like a breeze, and it settles the chills he gets while looking at him. "That would be quite unfortunate for you, wouldn't it...?"

Without responding, Hajime jogs as lightly as he can without the gear digging into his shoulders. Just as he rounds the corner, something sharp scratches into his shoulders.

"The hell you doing?!" Fuyuhiko spits in his ear. Hajime winces as he's yanked down to Fuyuhiko's height and shoved against the wall.

"Ow...!"

"What, are you trying to make our team lose? Fuckin' hell, I knew I didn't trust the looks of you. The nerve of Souda, makin' friends with people like you..."

There's a fire in Fuyuhiko eyes that Hajime doesn't really link to him, but it's there, flickering and raging and hot. It's enough to make his chest curl with fear. The other didn't look like much, but Hajime doubts that the gear wouldn't stop him from beating Hajime to the dust. 

Fuyuhiko peeks around the corner again, then hefts his gun, eyes narrowing. "Should just shoot you, geez..."

"Listen, I'm not trying to betray our side!" He turns his palms up, but already the Kuzuryuu is looking away from him, aiming through one of the panels that flips when you touch it. There's the click of pulling the trigger, and the blond must have hit someone, because he pulled the gun away from the open square with a satisfied smirk. "I was chasing after Tanaka and fell and they found me... okay?"

Fuyuhiko opens his mouth to respond, but his gear blinks and turns off. Accusing eyes whip towards Hajime and he holds up his hands, his empty hands, and the Kuzuryuu turns his gaze to find another subject of prey. 

"Got 'im!" Someone howls from above and Hajime glances up. He just catches a glimpse of tan hair that flashes yellow in the light, and they're gone. 

Gritting his teeth and scowling, Fuyuhiko looks up. "I didn't want to play this fuckin' game... but now I gotta 'cuz it's gonna ruin my reputation if I let myself be beat without some revenge...!"

With that, he darts off. Hajime's left with staring at empty space.

**OoO**

It's about twenty minutes into the game, and he's already gotten hit three or four times outside of the first five minutes of the game. Yeah, Hajime's retaliated by hitting some others once or twice, but he's about ninety-percent sure that's he's doing more harm to his team than good. Nagito's been a solid two times out of those, and Hajime hasn't even hit him yet, and that simple and pleasing smile of Nagito is beginning to bother him. 

He's also gotten hit by a girl named Owari that Kazuichi had mentioned earlier, and Makoto accidentally hit him as well. In return, Hajime's shot two girls named Koizumi and Saionji. 

"How much longer until the break?" Hajime whispers to Kazuichi. 

"Not much, the smoke's supposed to come in soon," he says. "It distorts shit. I'll see if I can trigger it any earlier or somethin'."

Normally, Hajime wouldn't feel comfortable when someone digs through a control panel located on the far right side of the maze, but the other looks like he kinda, sorta, maybe knows what he's doing. Hands darted across thin metal wires, tapping, searching, pulling, doing whatever mechanics did. Hajime's perfectly content with leaving Kazuichi how he is, but the mechanic's gritting his teeth, sharp edges raking against one another. If anything, he looks hurt like he did when they encountered Tanaka.

Now, that he's gotten a closer look at Kazuichi's face, there's a name he can put to the look. Jealousy. 

"That Sonia that Tanaka mentioned..."

Kazuichi freezes. Hajime studies his face, looks for a reaction, and then averts his gaze to the ground. "Sorry. I'll go shoot some people. Uh... keep in there, okay?"

He tries to push something akin to a smile onto his face, but when Kazuichi doesn't even look at him, Hajime leaves the area with his heart dampened and heavy in his chest- then immediately comes to someone who has the exact opposite of a heavy heart.

"Hajiiiiiime-chan!" Ibuki cheers, punching one portion of his gear. "Yikes! Spikes! Pikes! That's some ditzy gear you have on there! Ibuki's just about crunching for another punch at it!"

"Not so loud," Hajime hisses, grabbing her and putting one hand over her mouth. From what he's seen so far, she probably won't shut up, even if she did have a muffle; that inkling thought proved true when Ibuki started to speak in muffle through his hand. "There's other people on the other team, Mioda. Don't be that loud."

In response, she _licked_ his hand. 

Hajime snatches his hand back to his chest like she had thrown-up on him; she basically has, and now there's her saliva on her hand. _Gross_. 

"Are you out of your mind?!" He says in a sharp undertone and wipes his hand on his pants several times until the brunet's completely sure that his hand is dry. 

"She was just doing a call! Like a mating call! But a calling call. Or maybe a calling calling call. What's the difference between a call, a calling call, a calling calling calling call, and-"

"You're scare 'im half to death, Mioda," someone else remarks, and Hajime just about jumps out of his skin because _no, it's not her scaring him half to death, it's them-_

Nekomaru appears around the corner, towering over the rest of them, and Hajime has to bite down on his tongue. Somehow, electricity sparks from the man's eyes, but they're ghostly in the smoky light, so they don't give the three away.

"See? Reinforcements! And Hajime-chan said he didn't believe in Ibuki!"

"I never said I didn't believe in you-!"

"Now, to ambush!" Ibuki punches the air, and lifts her gun, tongue sticking out slightly between her lips.

"Bullying a girl? Not cool, Hinata..."

"AMBUSH!" She does everything but shriek, diving to the side, "Ibuki's ears have failed her! How could they?" She yanks at her ears. 

Hajime fiddles with his gun for a moment, mind racing. He aims and fires at the glowing figure of Nagito that had somehow appeared without them noticing. He aims and fires, but Nekomaru's already taken care of Nagito, shooting the white-haired boy before him, and Hajime's stream of light glances across the large man's gear. "Sorry!"

 

"You're fine, Hinata, at least you admitted your mistake! HUAH!" Nekomaru finishes his sentence with a bellow, and a body leaps out of the smoke, pouncing on him. 

"Old man!" 

"Another contestant!" A girl yell so- probably Ibuki off on the sidelines. 

Hajime whirls as something flashes at the corner of his eye, but it's smoke, smoke, smoke creeping up on the corners, billowing and encasing the entire area. Hajime can hardly see through the flashing lights that dance and wave through the cloud, and they sting his eyes.

Has Kazuichi activated them earlier, or is this when they are supposed to go off?

His hand finds the gear of someone, and Hajime identifies it as a shoulder pad- as he brings the two of them closing, squinting for a glimpse of light (he sees an orb of red), then sees a face. 

It's Peko, from the beginning, with curt words and a simple nod. Her eyes are bright and sharp even through the smoke, defining, the only sign of life in her body. 

How many people are even here?

Peko makes it six, doesn't she?

Hajime tries to find another body in the crowd, and the smoke is already beginning to thin; he sees distorted shapes through it. A giant shadow flicks at the corner of his eye and Hajime shoots the instant he sees blue light, to which he receives a human yelp.

"Got you, Nagito-chan!" Hajime can hear Ibuki yell out. There's a thump and a hiss, the speaking of someone with a softer tone, then a quiet cry. 

_What the hell is going on?!_

He needs out of the smoke. Already, he's beginning to panic because of loss of senses- sight, direction, basic logic- Ibuki's over there, but suddenly she's  _over there_ and Hajime's head spins.

The brunet finds himself running and smacks clear into a wall, using his hands to ghost across the surface, to guide him.

"Concerning the fact that we only met minutes earlier, I wasn't expecting this situation," a breezy voice says and Hajime almost immediately flinches and pulls away, but his hands are locked tight by bony fingers around his wrists. 

".. Sorry...!"

"It's fine," by now, Hajime puts a voice to face, and he can just  _imagine_ the simple and small smile the other wears on his face. "This smoke is deluding everyone, haha... whoever created it is truly a genius..."

"Yeah, but a genius seems more like an enemy when you're on the receiving side..."

"I suppose- oh! I'm still holding your hands... sorry about that."

The trap around his wrists finally disappear, and Hajime rubs them. "Do you know a way out of this smoke?"

"Souda-kun's played around in this maze before, there is a few spots where the smoke doesn't reach," Nagito says. He doesn't seem to even be trying to shoot him- Hajime would try, but he doubts he could even aim through the smoke if nothing was wrong. Nagito unsettles him, causes a tingle to run up his spine and wrap around his neck.

"Do you... Can you lead me there?"

"Of course. I don't find a problem with it."

A hand finds his shoulder and bony, jagged angles grip onto it tightly. Nagito tugs him in some direction, who knows where the hell where, but Hajime has to put his life (not life, maybe, but the pride he usually hides is starting to bite and snarl every time he gets hit) in Nagito's hands and trust him.

Damn him. Both of them. Damn Nagito. Damn Hajime himself. 

The smoke starts to thin again when they go around twists and turns, and Hajime's about tired of having his elbow bump things and the sharp angles of his body bruise.  The lazy glow of Nagito's pack is now visible, but orbs start to flicker at the corner of Hajime's vision, taunting him and teasing him. There's two blues that he sees next to each other, like they're guarding each other's back, and a couple of singular red and blues that he sees. 

"Nanami-san has my medication," Nagito sighs. "I can't extend myself that much without being by her side..."

Hajime's tempted to ask, but he bites it back in the middle of starting to voice it. Instead, he focuses on the back of Nagito's head, the outlines beginning to become visible. "Uhh... Did Mioda hit you or something?"

"She tackled me, more specifically. I hit my head against the wall, haha."

Hajime hopes that he hasn't taken notice of the jerky clicking of him trying to pull the gun out. Now that Hajime can see him, he doesn't mind the idea of shooting him- and his pride is rising again, memories of Nagito shooting them flickering and revealing themselves in his mind. 

"She's uncontrollable."

"Most definitely," the other agrees. 

Hajime pulls the trigger. A small stream of light glances across the floor, then travels up Nagito's leg. Eyes dart to the side and identify a wall he can hide behind, speckled with white. Lights of green and yellow flash against the floor and wall, everywhere, on Nagito's pack and his body and across Hajime's clothes, jumping away frantically. 

With that, he allows it to ghost over the back of the pack, then takes off running. 

When he reaches his hiding spot, l Hajime can hear of Nagito is a soft 'oh'. A solid block rests a distance away from Hajime, and he leaps over it with a quiet grunt, lands with his feet ringing, and takes off again. 

He still wants to be avenged, it's not enough, he wants to win. Hajime's not one for childish games but adrenaline leaks in his blood and pounds in his ears to the rhythm of the music. 

**OoO**

He's just about avoided getting hit at all ever since he shot Nagito, and he's seen his teammate Makoto once or twice, as well as Hina. As for the blue team, he avoided getting hit by Saionji, who spat insults at his back, ones that cause cold sweat to bead at your neck. He's also avoided Chiaki twice now. 

Now, breaths billow out of him, coughing and spluttering as Hajime tugs the pack from his throat and loosening the area. The stupid thing now almost seems familiar to him, the weight seeming like nothing. 

He's still breathing hard from running from Saionji, and the last time he ran that hard was Nagito- whom he hasn't seen since he shot him. The thought was unsettling.

As he steps, breath ragged, through the maze again, panels of the walls turning underneath his hands and doors opening as Hajime navigates through them, the music had faded to a dull thud. The maze is eerily silent for being the power-induced last few minutes of the first around. 

Turning a corner, Hajime stops. 

The guy hasn't noticed him yet, but he wears the pack uncomfortably, constantly shifting and picking at it with a frown. "Totally uncool, man."

He realizes with a start that he's speaking to him. "You're concerned with that?"

The other shrugs. He's dressed in a sharp and eye-alluring white shirt that glows, with a pattern of red at the corner of it. Hajime would look closer at it, but it blinds his eyes almost and makes black dots sparkle, so he instead focuses on his face, where piercings glitter on his ears and how small green lights flash and blink across a head of red hair. Hajime's not sure if Kazuichi's given him a name, but by the way this guy slouches and seems to be settled pretty comfortably, he's been here for a while.

"Man, I thought this'd be cool 'cuz Maizono's here, but apparently not," the male upturns his palms, releasing a sharp sigh. "Unfair."

"I'm gonna-" Hajime takes a step back, then another. "Go?"

With that, he leaves the red-haired guy behind. 

A knot started to form in his stomach, unease curling through bone and muscle. Hajime looks behind him but nothing's there, just his own mind festering in cold blood. The music is still there, turning low and soft, but lights still sweep across panels and walls and stairs of black. 

Hajime reaches a corner, and sighs. His muscles relax, tension coiled up tight in him then unwinding. 

Thump. 

Definitely a sound.

Hajime's hands travel down the thick wire and locates the gun again. What used to be a calm, seemingly tranquil area of the far edge of the maze (or at least, that's what Hajime guesses, seeing the exit sign a few black panels away) becomes highstrung. His eyes dart side to side, and-

Thump. 

Hajime's back hits a wall, _ow_ , but there's a pair of lips that press to Hajime's own and _he can't kick or fight or anything_ because his stupid heart melts in his chest. The kiss is almost gentle, tender, and Hajime can't remember the last time someone has treated him this way, because all he remembers is sharp retorts and a silver tongue from his family, his friends, because he's too petty or irritated constantly. 

Then he shoves, and shoves hard. The brunet just glimpses a head of wispy, glowing hair before it disappears, and Hajime's left with confused eyes and heart. 

That's Nagito. 

Anger rises in his chest. Hajime turns and kicks the wall so harshly that his toe aches.

**OoO**

The worker pulls the pack off Hajime's shoulders, and Hajime rubs it for a moment. Kazuichi's waiting for him with a soda can in hand, and he's laughing at (or with, he can't tell) Ibuki as she gestures wildly, hair flying. As the brunet goes off to him, he flicks a glance over the room, seeing the ginger guy from earlier, clearly trying to flirt with a blue-haired girl as he scoots closer.

She's not paying any heed to how he's grinning and constantly taking looks at her face, instead giggling into her hands.

"Hey, Hinata!"

Kazuichi waves him over, and Hajime sits down next to his friend. The spark in Kazuichi's eyes is  back again, his contacts glittering as he looked at Hajime with a grin. 

"D'ya get anymore shots?"

"Ibuki shot Nagito-chan! Like, pow-ow! Or maybe it was more like fisk-fisk! Wach-wach! What does a gun even sound like?"

Hajime scooted away from the over-energetic girl and takes a juice box that his pink-haired friend offers to him. "Hey, so who's the others?"

Without warning, Hina, who Hajime learnt was in the class below Kazuichi's (the 78th, he thinks?), flops down next to him, stretching one arm above her head (Hajime has to basically slam his knee into the mechanic's knee to stop him from staring).

"Well, from my class, there's Oowada-kun-" she points out a man with a strange hairstyle. It sticks out far in front of his face, beige-colored with dark-haired hair sweeping towards the back of his neck, "Kuwata-kun," the ginger, "and Sayaka-chan!" the blue-haired girl. 

"Well, for us there's Koizumi, Saionji, Tanaka, Nanami, and Owari. Oh yeah, and Komaeda. Then, out of us, there's Mioda, Hinata, Kuzuryuu, and me, Souda! Oh, yeah, and Pekoyama. S'not like she speaks that much though." As he talks, he juts his thumb towards the person he was pointing out, despite the fact that they had all introduced themselves at the beginning.

Hajime finishes his juice box and crushes it in the palm of his hand. The plastic (or cardboard, whatever it is) hisses once before it gives in, and Hajimes goes to toss it away without another word. It smacks cleanly against the rim of the trash can, and as he turns around, Hajime spots the person he's not sure if he was looking or trying to avoid. 

Nagito.

"Ah, Hajime!"

Now that looking at him doesn't blind him, Hajime easily tosses a look in his direction, eyes narrowing. Nagito waves with one hand, a simple smile stitched into his lips, then takes a couple of steps to get right next to him. Like Kazuichi, Nagito holds a green can in his hands, and he catches glimpse of the brand name: Dr. Hopper. 

"I'm sorry, but what was that?"

"Oh? This? Why, it's a drink I rather enjoy- but someone like me shouldn't be allowed-"

"No. In the maze," Hajime's voice lowers to the whisper. 

Nagito blinks. If he's trying to irritate Hajime, it's working, because he can feel his heart churning in his chest like something was frothing in it. 

"You kissed me."

"Oh, that!" Nagito chuckles softly, his words slow and steady. "Owari-san just mentioned that you're around quite often... she offered the suggestion to me during the first few minutes after we encountered you, Mioda-san, Pekoyama-san, and Nidai... you're many things from what I've seen of you, but stupid isn't one of them, so I had to surprise you."

He curls one finger around a strand of hair, thoughtfully humming as he wraps it around and around. "I'm afraid I've always been like this. Besides... I don't have anything to fear or even to be concerned about... an action like the one in the maze is nothing."

With a light hum, seeming to think that the conversation is done, Nagito turns his back and goes to sit next to Chiaki. Hajime's left with his lips pressed tightly together. He hasn't felt the need for vengance in a long time, plus it's not really him, but Nagito had kissed him in the maze just long enough for him to crave more, and it truly, really, completely irritates him.

**OoO**

When they slip back into the maze, the weight on his shoulders is nothing, and he holds the laser tag gun with ease. The second round is more intense, from what he can gather from previous experiences, and already, sweat lingers heavy on the air. 

This time, the red team had gone first, so Hajime moves throughout the maze. Once the blue team enters, the music will turn on, and it'll transform the dim area into a battlefield. Already, the walls are shifting- the worker mentioned that there's traps throughout the maze now, and that the walls can move. 

"All right!" Up ahead, Kazuichi waves his arm around, and tries to push the tremor out of his voice, "So, you guys might'a heard, but there's gonna be traps here in the maze. S'not anything special- the red lights that ya ca see-" he points out a thin stream of light that's cast from one of the lights up above, and Hajime focuses on the red dot that jumps from surface to surface every twenty seconds or so. "They're the trap lights. If you get caught in 'em for more than a couple of seconds, it'll take points from our team."

_Figures. Kazuichi'd know this place like this like it's the back of his hand._

Everyone nods, and there's the sound of shuffling as shoes scrape across the floor, lazy and noisy. They depart in different directions, and Hajime slides through thin and narrow slits of the maze, behind his friend.

"I saw ya talkin' to Komaeda. What was that about? Girl drama?"

"As if," Hajime shoots back. 

Kazuichi chuckles and the petty thing called a heart in his chest warms. 

The maze ripples with life, probably because Ibuki's in it- she's, no doubt, the loudest out of all of them. Kazuichi and Hajime take shelter in a little nook, where they can see a diamond of the maze. Kazuichi sits and fiddles with his gun, and Hajime keeps a watchful eye out for any blue orbs he sees. There's a sharp rise in murmurs as Hajime assumes the blue team enters the maze, and they only have to wait another minute until the music starts playing. 

"You staying here?" Hajime asks the mechanic. 

"I work well in places like this," Kazuichi flashes a toothy grin, one that is sharp and razor-edged in the glow of the maze. "Can prolly snag a shot or two."

Hajime opens his mouth to say something, but he just barely catches the hovering red dot that quivers on a white-specked wall. Once he clearly angles his face towards it, it flicks away.

In the next instant, both of their packs blink out. Hajime grits his teeth and fires a sharp look upwards, only to see Nagito lazily flick his gun side to side, letting the thin stream of light flash across multiple surfaces.

"Again, Hinata... I thought that you would try and seek me out first. Well... I'm sure expectations can't always be lived up to... disappointing."

_Every passing minute. Every goddamn passing minute, he gets creepier._

He smiles down at Hajime again, but the smile doesn't reach his eyes. They're grey, flat discs that reflect the neon lights of the maze and are shrouded in a dull green. "I'll go now, before your guns turn back on again, haha."

With that, he's gone. 

"I've got him."

W-Wait, Hinata-!"

The brunet is already half-way up the stairs, sneakers harsh against the floor, inhaling and exhaling in a mix of one second The pack lifts and falls into his shoulder, moving up and down as he runs to the end of the second floor, eyes cutting across the entire maze for any sight of the white-haired teenager. He sees Akane with Nekomaru, wrestling on the floor (at least, he hopes they're wrestling), and Kuwata a distance away, but Nagito's no where in sight. Hajime doesn't stop paying attention to his senses, for they tickle and twitch at every light that sweeps throughout the arena.

If Nagito wasn't his main priority previously, he is now. 

Without thinking, he hops over the wall down to the lower level, and lands sharp on his ankles, crumbling with a groan. Hajime's irritation is spiking and spiking big- he used to think that he wasn't to quick to anger, but Nagito's gone and pushed all those little buttons and festered under his skin. Guess it depends on the person. 

 And ow, that landing probably  screwed up his joints. But Hajime struggles to his feet, then flops onto his backside, regretting everything, including how hard he had kicked the wall when Nagito had kissed him. His hair's messed up, the small slivers of bangs at the front of his face sweeping into one another and bunched up, and Hajime leans against the wall, sighs, and looks up at the ceiling, where lights pulse faintly, like they're stars across a dark night 

"Damn you, Komaeda!"

"Ah, those were the words I was expecting. Hm... my classmates treat me rather nicely, no matter what I did or how I did it... you know the explosion during the exams, right? That was my fault, but I was let off with merely a suspension while my poor upperclassmen were expelled. Perhaps I should have been punished more- they would have done great things had they stayed in the Academy."

 There he is, again.

His posture is almost polite, hands locked behind his back, and head tilted to the side in slight curiosity. Had his joints not been hurting, Hajime would have tried to break that posture, but he just aims a sharp look at him. "You're interesting, Hinata. What makes you tick, I wonder...? Everythng about you is different than my classmates... the way you move, the way you speak, your mannerisms... it's all different."

"Shut up..."

Hajime pulled himself to his feet, staring at Nagito (he can't say that Nagito isn't attractive, he's more on the gorgeous side, but the flatness of his eyes ruins the image). The warmth of Nagito against his own lips and he just stares at him, stares.

"You injured yourself," he says.

"Yeah. Thanks for noticing."

Nagito extends one hand to Hajime. The brunet's gaze flicks down to it, then swings his arm around to clasp it. With a small tug and a little struggle, the white-haired teenager pulls him to his feet.

"Your friend, Souda- he helped me a while ago, much like this. I could not walk... I wonder if they're okay with me going through the exit with you to get treatment?" 

Hajime glances sideways at him, quietly helping him along. The glow of the exit sign stands stark against the color of the maze, and Nagito helps him through it. The worker they saw at the very beginning, the one that led the blue team into the maze, is sitting on a bench, looking at his hands, and Nagito waves to catch his attention.

"Excuse me my friend is a bit injured..."

**OoO**

Nagito had stayed with Hajime while he was getting his foot tended to. The worker said he might have injured it past just landing harshly on it, and now, they sit in the lobby. A TV screen shows the two of them how the game's going. 

The door opens.

"Hinata!"

"Too- tight-" Hajime grunts out, and Kazuichi just barely retracts his arms from around him- he probably would've lost his breath. 

People filter in behind him, without gears and beaming smiles on their faces, bright and gleaming and it immediately lifts the room's mood. Hajime sees both of the teams interacted with one another; Ibuki punches Kuwata's arm with her teeth poking out of the crack between of her lips in a smile. 

"Attention, attention!"

Everyone's attention aims upward.

"The winner is the red team!"

Kazuichi whoops and punches the air; he's shaking Hajime's shoulder with the other hand and he just smiles at his overexcited friend, and Ibuki screams, so loudly that it makes almost everyone wince, and there's people smiling. It's not just the red team, the blue team are nudging their friends on the other team and congratulating them.

"Congratulations," Nagito notes. "I decided that I like laser tag. Does anyone happen to have a birthday coming up soon?"

Half the room's eyes dart to the back of Peko, who is quietly getting a bottle of water from the vending machine. She doesn't seem to notice. 

Hajime knows that this won't be the last he sees of Nagito. 


End file.
